Fire and Ice
by RedLightsRedFights
Summary: Kaida Abarai has a fiery spirit and goes through her life as a Soul Reaper a little less than seriously while dealing with her fight-crazed Captain, an over protective big brother and not to mention her rival, Toshiro Hitsugaya, who was also a child prodigy like her, but seems to be her exact opposite. But sometimes, opposites attract, no matter how much they hate each other.
1. The Change

PROLOGUE:

_ "Well? Are you going to attack me, then, Abarai?"_

_ Kaida turned away from Gin, glancing back at the little white-haired Captain. He was glaring at her with harsh distain. Momo's motionless form lay a few feet from him. Kaida let her eyes flick back and forth between the two, her grip on her Zanpakuto tightening. _

_ "After all, this is your chance," Toshiro growled, narrowing those turquoise eyes at her, "No one would stop you. Everyone would believe you were completely justified in doing so. It's your chance to ruin me, even try to kill me if you wanted. Isn't that what you want? What you've always wanted?!"_

_ Kaida stood rigid for a moment. Her heart seemed to be pounding into overdrive. Never once had she ever thought that she would be faced with this situation. The opportunity to ruin Toshiro Hitsugaya, once and for all… it was sitting here, right in front of her. She could have him arrested, locked up, sentenced to execution, or even more, kill him herself here and now. _

_ "After all, you would believe him, wouldn't you," Toshiro continued, looking past her at Gin, "You would believe anything that put me in a bad light. Even something as outlandish as this."_

_ Kaida looked from Toshiro to Gin, straightening and letting her hold on her blade relax. Toshiro blinked in surprise. Even Gin perked a brow, though that ever present creeper smile was still on his lips. _

_ "I'm sorry, Toshiro," she muttered, making Toshiro crouch in a defensive position, obviously believing she was going to attack him now, only apologizing that she had to do it, but then she continued, "But I'm not about to believe that you would go about such means to get power from an outside source. You've always been determined to prove that you're perfectly capable on your own, you would never accept help from anyone or anything, including a super powered blade," she glanced at Gin, "Which means that Aizen's note was forged by some bastard trying to pin the blame on someone other than himself!"_

_ And as Kaida turned to stand beside Toshiro for the first time in her life, Toshiro let out a soft breath, "Kaida…"_

_ She glanced at him and smirked, "I win again, Toshiro."_

_ Kaida would have never thought something like this would ever happen, her heated rivalry with Toshiro coming to a standstill and her actually standing to help him rather than do everything in her power to bring him down. And to think, she thought dryly, the set off for this only happened three months ago. Funny. It almost felt like years. And it was all due to that stupid human, carrot-top. Her standing side by side with her oldest and most hated rival? It was just one more thing she was going to have to kill Ichigo for._

*.*.*

THREE MONTHS EARLIER:

*.*.*

"Let's become Soul Reapers…"

Those four words changed Kaida's life forever. Standing upon the hillside of the graves of their three fallen comrades… she didn't remember much of it other than the sunset, and those words. She had been very young then, a child beside the young man on her right, and the young woman to her left.

Even though she was much younger than the other two, Kaida was placed in the same level as her them upon her entrance exams to the Soul Academy, even good enough to be placed in the advanced class. There was only one other like her, considered a prodigy with being so young but so skilled. It took her only one year to graduate. It felt like such a long time ago…

"Kaida, are you even paying attention?"

Kaida flinched and looked over at the female Soul Reaper to her right. She had raven black hair, a piece of it hanging down across her face like a slash between her deep blue eyes. There was an irritated scowl on her fair face, and Kaida laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Whoa, sorry, Rukia, it's just… this sunset…" she looked back out across the small town.

The two of them were standing atop one of the buildings, and the sun was slowly setting in the distance. Kaida could not help but feel nostalgia. Rukia's expression softened.

"I see, but this is hardly the time to be thinking about the past, Kaida," she said, "We have a mission to do."

"I know!" Kaida said, mock saluting, "Awaiting orders, Captain Kuchiki!"

Rukia rolled her eyes, "Don't let anyone back at the Soul Society hear you say that."

"Only because no one there has a sense of humor," Kaida said with a smirk.

"Come on," said Rukia, looking back down at the town, "I haven't sensed it for a while now, but let's go patrol. It has to be close."

Kaida nodded and the two jumped off the roof as the sun set completely leaving the town in darkness.

*.*.*

Ichigo laid down, his body exhausted. It had been a long day, what with seeing yet another ghost that wanted help from him, and the explosion later… That thing… he had seen a monster, a straight up monster, and it had been chasing the ghost he had helped earlier that day. But that hadn't even been the weirdest part…

Those girls…

Ichigo had been certain that that creature was going to kill him, with its strange almost skeletal clown like mask, huge black bug-like body and pincers… He thought he was dead for sure. But then they appeared out of nowhere, almost like… like phantoms…

The first had raven black hair. She had really been the one to destroy the creature. Wearing a black kimono, she had unsheathed a katana from her hip and in one sweep cut the monster in the face, blood pouring outward. She had landed like a cat even though it appeared she had jumped from one of the ten story tall buildings above.

That was when the second girl arrived, this one younger, with wild fire red hair that hid one of her eyes. Her tiny body landed next to the first girl, and she too wielded a katana, though its sheath was strapped across her back. Her kimono was a bit tattered at the sleeves, and she wore a red scarf that partially covered her face.

"Good hit!" she told the first girl in a cheery tone, beaming at her.

"Pay attention!" the black-hair girl scolded just as the creature brought down a massive pincer.

Both girls jumped out of the way, though the red-head only just barely made it. She laughed nervously.

"Whoa! I think you made him mad!" she said.

"This isn't a game!" the black-hair girl snapped.

"Fine, I guess play time's over," the red-head's voice grew darker and she grinned wickedly at the creature as she landed and pushed up off the ground, the hand wielding the blade held back.

She twirled and swung the katana down hard, severing the pincer limbs off completely.

"Ten points!" she cried when she landed, giving the other girl a thumb's up.

The black-haired girl had sighed heavily, "You know that's not going to kill it… you have to aim… for the mask!" she charged, raising her blade high as the ugly creature raised its head and let out a bellowing wail.

Bringing down the blade, Ichigo saw the result of the cut, but never when the sword made contact, the speed was that intense. The mask split in half along with the rest of the body, and then it faded away, bursting into small fragments of black, like a mixture of scattering flower petals and ash being taken up by the wind.

And it was gone.

"Heh, great job!" the red-head said, beaming, "Of course, I softened it up for you."

"Oh shut up…"

They began to walk away.

"Hey- hey wait!" Ichigo called after them, but in a blink they were lost in the crowd of people running about to see what happened.

It appeared no one but he had seen the monster or the two mysterious girls that had defeated it. So what did that mean? More ghosts? He had never seen any ghosts like that beast before. Nor had he ever seen a ghost so able to manipulate the living world. That thing had torn apart an entire street. Physically ripped it to shreds. So there was no denying it happened, Ichigo couldn't chalk it up to imagination as much as he wanted to.

So who were those girls?

Two butterflies fluttered in through his open window. Ichigo gasped and sat straight up just in time to see two figures walk into his room… through the wall. He stared. It was the two girls from before!

"H-hey!" Ichigo stammered, pointing at their backs, "It's you two!"

"You're sure it's going to show up around here?" asked the red-head, her small hands laced behind her head, frowning at her comrade.

"Of course I'm sure, can't you sense it?" the black-hair girl asked sharply, "It's getting close."

"Well I sense something other than just the Hollow," said the red-head, "Seriously! Feel that spiritual pressure? It feels weird!"

"You've been saying you can sense some kind of spiritual pressure since we got here, and I don't feel anything but the Hollows," said the black-haired girl.

"That's because you're not as perceptive as I am," said the red-head snidely.

"That's ridiculous, we both know that there's a reason you're with squad eleven, Kaida, and that's because you're only main skill is using your Zanpakuto."

"Hey! That's not true, I can use some Kido!" Kaida said in a huff.

"HEY!" Ichigo shouted, getting irritated that they were both completely ignoring him, "Who the hell are you two?!"

Kaida looked at him as the black-haired girl began looking around the room.

"We'll have to be ready for when it comes, Kaida, perhaps we should set up to ambush it… it's no ordinary Hollow," the black-haired girl was saying.

"Hmm…" Kaida said, looking pensive and stepping toward Ichigo, who, despite himself, scrambled back against the wall.

She was a little girl but he had seen her cut off the limbs of a giant monster. She reached back and grabbed the hilt of her blade. He held up a hand, "Hey! Stay back, you aren't cutting me up with that thing!"

Kaida blinked in surprise at his words and her single visible eye got big, making Ichigo realize it was the color of a setting sun, a brilliant golden amber.

"Wait- just- a- second!" she said in short little bursts, then glanced over at her companion, "Hey Rukia?"

"Kaida, I'm trying to concentrate on a plan here, what do you want?" the other girl asked without turning.

"I think this guy can see us," said Kaida casually, pointing back at Ichigo.

"Wha- Of course I can see you!" Ichigo cried, anger bursting out, "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my room?!"

"Hm?" Rukia turned, perking a brow, "What, that's impossible… ordinary humans can't see us, Kaida, don't be foolish."

"But he just responded to me and he's making eye contact," said Kaida, frowning at Rukia.

"But…" Rukia looked at Ichigo.

"Hey!" Ichigo shouted at her, "Answer me! Who are you?!"

"He's the guy we saw earlier today…" said Rukia.

"Oh, he is!" Kaida said, beaming, "The one we saved from the Hollow! T'sup carrot top?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. He always got shit for his bright orange hair that stuck up in all directions.

"How very strange," Rukia stepped forward, grabbing Ichigo's cheek and turning his head this way and that, "He looks perfectly human, but he must be defective in some way."

Ichigo smacked her hand away, his temper flaring, "I'll show you defective!" he made to swipe a punch at her but she jumped up and he felt a foot land on his head, pushing him off the bed and onto the floor. Kaida laughed.

"I think he's funny! Can we keep him?" she poked his back and Ichigo rolled over and away from her.

"Kaida, he's a human, not a pet…" Rukia sighed.

"Who are you people?" he demanded.

"You want to know?" asked Rukia, looking down at him thoughtfully, "Then I'll tell you. We're Soul Reapers."

Ichigo blinked, "You're… what?"

"It's simple, carrot top!" said Kaida, beaming at him, "We help the dead pass on to the Soul Society where they can be at peace, but more than that!" her eye gleamed and she gripped the hilt of her katana, making Ichigo brace himself instinctively, "We fight Hollows."

"Hollows…?" Ichigo echoed, "You mean… that thing in the street today… that was a…?"

"A Hollow, yes," said Rukia, who didn't seem to share Kaida's wild enthusiasm, "A dark spirit that seeks to devour the souls of both the living and the dead who have not yet found peace."

"So it was trying to eat the soul of that ghost girl?" asked Ichigo, perking a brow.

"Oh, so you could see her too?" Rukia nodded, "Yes, well, it appeared it was after her at the time, but we think that there is something else drawing so many out. Another Hollow, one much stronger than the one you saw earlier, is on its way here."

"Here?" asked Ichigo, eyes wide, "But why?"

"I'm telling you, Rukia, it's that weird spiritual pressure I'm feeling!" said Kaida, looking over at the other girl.

"There's nothing but the presence of Hollows, Kaida, you must be mixing it up," said Rukia, looking out the window, "In any case, whatever it's after is around here somewhere."

Ichigo sat there for a moment then shook his head, "No way! I don't believe it!"

"What?" Kaida blinked, looking at him.

"This Soul Reaper and Hollow crap," said Ichigo, getting to his feet.

"Wait, how can you say you don't believe in Soul Reapers when you can see ghosts?!" Rukia demanded.

"Tch, well I've never heard of Soul Reapers before, and frankly, your story just sounds too incredible," said Ichigo flatly, "I don't believe in anything I can't see."

"But… you can see us!" said Kaida.

"Yeah, and I'll admit you two aren't human," scoffed Ichigo, "The two of you are obviously just some very confused ghosts. So why don't you go play your Soul Reaper game somewhere else, brats…"

"Brats?" Rukia glared darkly.

Ichigo didn't like the sudden anger in her eyes. He almost took a step back. Rukia looked up at him and held out her hand, "Bakudo number one," she said, and then, louder, "SAI!" she thrust out her hand in a swiping motion toward Ichigo.

Ichigo yelped as his arms suddenly twisted up behind his back and he felt face forward, his entire body becoming rigid.

"Wh-what?! What did you do to me?!" he cried.

"Paralysis," said Rukia, smirking down at him, "I've used what's called a Kido. It's useless to struggle against it, you're only wasting your energy," she crossed her arms, "I may look young to you, but I've lived ten of your lifetimes. I would kill you here and now if it was not against my order for your insolence!"

"Hey, calm down, Rukia," Kaida said, laughing lightly, "He's just confused, I mean, really, how can we expect him to go along with this when he's never met a Soul Reaper before?"

"Kaida, on the other hand, is much younger than me, and sometimes she doesn't understand that as Soul Reapers, we demand a certain kind of respect," said Rukia harshly.

"You're too serious!" laughed Kaida.

"We can't all be children," sighed Rukia, closing her eyes.

Ichigo struggled against the invisible binds on his body, "Damn it! Let me out of this!" he cried.

Kaida went to the window, looking out, "That's weird I can't sense the Hollow anymore…" she said.

Rukia glanced back at her, "What?"

"Seriously, I- oop!" the girl pulled something from her pocket as it began to beep. It looked like a cell phone to Ichigo, "Wait whaaaaaaat?" she frowned at it, "Rukia, this says it's on the other side of town! I could- AH! Rukiaaa!"

"What?!" Rukia demanded, "Kaida you're going to give me a headache…"

"There's two!"

"What?"

"There's two Hollows!" said Kaida frantically, waving her arms around, "One's on the other side of town and the other is almost here!"

Rukia hissed in annoyance, "It can't be helped. Kaida, go get the second Hollow, I'll stay here and cut off the other."

"You sure you can handle it on your own?" Kaida asked with a smirk, "This one seems like quite the baddie."

"Kaida, just follow orders!" Rukia snapped.

"Alright fiiiiine, sheesh, you're too serious, Rukia… lighten up. Shouldn't take me long with the small fry on the other side of town, and I'll be back."

"Good luck," said Rukia.

"Take care, carrot top!" Kaida said, smirking down at Ichigo.

Ichigo spat, "Shut up, you little brat…"

Kaida giggled and jumped out of the window, vanishing.

"What did she mean, the other one is heading this way?" Ichigo demanded the remaining Soul Reaper.

"It's nothing I can't handle, don't worry," said Rukia.

But then one of Ichigo's sisters screamed from downstairs.

*.*.*

Kaida sheathed her Zanpakuto, glancing around as the Hollow vanished into particles. It had just been a low class one, but it had been intent on attacking a human that had been out for a late night jog. Kaida had gotten there just in time, and the Hollow had only given her a little trouble with how evasive it was. But no matter, it was dead now. And as she looked across the town, she realized that she could barely sense Rukia's spiritual pressure.

"Oh crap!" she hissed and took off at the run, jumping up onto the buildings and racing back toward where she had left Rukia and the human.

She knew she shouldn't have gone, but it was like Rukia had said, it couldn't be helped. They had two Soul Reapers and it would be irresponsible to not take advantage of that and rid two Hollows when they happened to pop up at the same time in different areas. But still, Kaida felt partially responsible. Rukia was in trouble, she could sense how weak she was. But how- how could someone like Rukia Kuchiki be bested by a Hollow of this degree? Yes, he was stronger than most, but even so, this was Rukia they were talking about.

And then something new happened.

That strange spiritual pressure that Kaida had been feeling in the back of her mind since they arrived suddenly exploded. She blinked in surprise, nearly faltering in her running. What was THAT? There was no denying that that weird feeling existed now. It was stronger than ever!

"Could it…" Kaida breathed, "N… no way…"

She sprinted on, and landed on the street of that orange-haired human's house just in time to see that very same human wielding a massive Zanpakuto, and cutting the Hollow into two. It vanished into particles and Kaida stood there in absolute shock.

"…T… T'sup carrot top?" she stammered.

Ichigo looked back at her. He was wearing a kimono. He looked… he looked like a Soul Reaper.

"Oh sure…" he rasped, "Now you show up…" and then he fell.

Kaida stood there for a moment, looking around. She spotted Rukia leaning against a pole a ways away.

"Rukia!" Kaida rushed to her, grasping her shoulders.

Rukia yelped in pain and Kaida pulled back, her hands covered in blood.

"Ah! What happened?!" Kaida demanded.

"Th-that human… is not normal…" Rukia gasped, "He broke my Kido… and went after the Hollow. I had no choice, if I hadn't jumped in front of him, that Hollow would have…"

Kaida glanced back at Ichigo's slumbering face and she sighed, "Oh, yeah, I get it, I see it now… He… he looks a lot like him…"

Rukia let out a small sound, almost like a whimper. Kaida looked back at her, "I'm sorry-" she began.

"No," said Rukia, her voice hardening, "Don't be. You wouldn't have gotten back in time to save him and his family, I knew it. So…" she looked at the massive sword beside Ichigo. Suddenly, it made sense to Kaida.

"Rukia!" she gasped, "You- you-?!"

"I had to."

"Rukia, this… you're going to get into huge trouble," Kaida whispered.

Rukia avoided her gaze.

"I only meant to give him half my power. But… he took all of it," she said.

"Yeah, and his Zanpakuto is huge!" said Kaida, "He was the spiritual pressure I've felt since we got here. The Hollows… they've been after him."

Rukia nodded grimly.

"Well this is just a crap basket, isn't it?" Kaida laughed.

"I can't stay in this form," Rukia gasped, "I'm too weak to even use Kido to heal myself."

"I could try!" said Kaida.

"NO!" Rukia cried, "I mean…" she added at the hurt look on Kaida's face, "Let's be honest here, you would probably do more harm than good."

"Killjoy," Kaida said.

"Looks like someone could use a Gigai."

Kaida turned, perking a brow, "Who…? Kisuke?"

"Heh, long time no see, Rukia, Kaida," said the man as he walked forward. He wore a green and white striped hat with a long brown coat and clogs on his feet. The rim of his hat cast his eyes into shadows and he smirked down at them.

"Urahara?" Rukia cringed a bit in pain, "You mean you have a Gigai I could use?"

"Of course," said Kisuke, tapping his cane on the floor, "After all, it's not very likely that the Soul Society will be willing to give you one after tonight."

Kaida looked from Rukia to Kisuke, "This is bad," she murmured.

"Kaida, perhaps it's best you return to the Soul Society," said Kisuke.

"What? Without Rukia? How can I, what will I tell them?!" asked Kaida.

"Tell them I sent you back," said Rukia, looking up at her, "I'm the superior in this mission, they'll believe that. Tell them I said to return because you would be of more use elsewhere, that the Hollow threat wasn't as bad as they thought and it only requires one Soul Reaper. That way… that way…" she looked away, not meeting Kaida's eyes, "That way when the time comes… you can't be blamed in any way."

Kaida sighed, getting to her feet, "I don't like this," she said, "I can't just leave you here, with all your powers gone!"

"Don't worry about me," said Rukia, looking over at Ichigo, "I'll make sure he is ready to face Hollows in my stead until I've recovered."

"But that won't help you when they find out, Rukia, you'll be in trouble!" said Kaida, "This is a huge offense!"

Rukia laughed, looking at her, "Stop being so serious, Kaida. It doesn't suit you to be like this. Where's the jokes and teasing?"

Kaida smiled lightly, then glanced at Kisuke, "You take good care of her, got it, buster?" she said sharply, smirking a bit, "You don't wanna set the firecracker off."

"Little prodigy like you? Of course not," said Kisuke, smiling lightly, "Don't worry, she's in good hands…"

Kaida turned to go, but Rukia called after her.

"Kaida!"

She turned, perking a brow.

Rukia held her gaze, "Please don't tell Renji," she said softly.

Kaida looked away, "Alright," she said with a sigh, "But he's going to kick my ass if he ever finds out I knew."

And so Kaida returned to the Soul Society. She did so not knowing what had just been set in motion, not realizing that this one night had changed everything.


	2. Suspecting

Kaida landed lightly in the street, glancing around herself. She had arrived back in the seireitei in the middle of the night. She wondered vaguely if her Captain was awake. Knowing Kenpache, that was possible. She could just see him sitting one of the rooftops with little Yachiru on his shoulder. Regardless, Kaida knew she had to check in with someone.

Making her way through the streets, Kaida saw a few patrols along her way, though none of them were from her squad. She was well known, however, and she usually received three different reactions whenever someone saw her. A respectful nod or bow, a scowl and glare, or a snicker. Kaida would return the nods, smile at the glares, and laugh along with the snickering.

Kaida was slowly making her way back to squad eleven barracks, which meant she had to cross through a squad ten area. She didn't really realize she was there until she heard an annoyingly familiar voice.

"Kaida Abarai? I thought you were in the world of the living on a special mission."

Kaida whirled and nearly fell over because the speaker had been directly behind her- as in- so close that she ran smack into him and they both yelped and staggered backward.

"Hey! Watch what you're doing!"

"Well don't sneak up on me like that!" Kaida snapped back, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.

The boy before her was her exact height, with wild snow white hair and turquoise eyes. He wore a black kimono, but over it was the white robes of a Soul Reaper Captain.

"So?" he prompted impatiently, "What are you doing back here, Abarai?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, Toshiro," Kaida smirked at him.

The small Captain's brow twitched, "That's Captain Hitsugaya to you," he snapped, "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"I honestly don't care that you're a Captain now, I called you Toshiro back in school and I'm gonna do it now, wanna know why?" she grinned playfully.

Toshiro sighed heavily, "Because you enjoy annoying me far too much," he grumbled.

"Correct! I'll give you two K points," said Kaida, nodding.

"'K' points…?" Toshiro perked a brow.

"Kaida points! Duh. If you get enough of them you can turn them in for special prizes, you know," Kaida beamed.

Toshiro pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, "Abarai, I don't have time for your games. Just tell me what you're doing back without Lieutenant Kuchiki."

"I was just on my way to MY squad to report in when you decided to stalk me. That's kind of creepy, you know, Toshiro, were you waiting for me to come back or something?" she placed her hands on her hips, smirking.

"That- no!" Toshiro cried, turning red.

Kaida laughed victoriously at how she made him lose his composure, "Same old Toshiro! So easy to mess with!"

"Abarai, I'm trying to be serious," growled Toshiro.

"So am I."

"Ugh," Toshiro shook his head helplessly, "Look. As a Captain, I order you to give me a report, Abarai."

"Why do you have to pull the 'Captain' card out? Is it because you're short? Are you trying to make up for your vertical challenges, Toshiro?"

"Kaida!" Toshiro snapped.

"Sweet, I win again," Kaida said under her breath. It was always her goal whenever she and Toshiro had a conversation to annoy him so much to the point where he would call her by her first name. Only then would she let their rivalry drop for a moment to be serious. She wasn't sure Toshiro knew the rules of her little name game or not, but he must have picked up on a pattern by now.

After all, he too had graduated from the Soul Academy in one year.

Kaida still knew she was better than him though, Captain or not.

"Rukia sent me back," she said, shrugging indifferently, "Said I would be of more use back here and that she could handle the mission on her own."

"But we specifically sent one of squad eleven with her because the mission was dangerous," said Toshiro with a frown, "The Hollow activity was way too high."

"Well, Rukia said she could handle it after like, the fifth one we downed," said Kaida, "Hey, I'm just as upset as you are! I didn't want to come back to get stuck on guard duty."

Toshiro scoffed, turning away, "It doesn't make sense. We were certain that the area was too much for just one Soul Reaper, even a Lieutenant…"

"Well, you were wrong," said Kaida, clapping a hand on his shoulder, making him grunt in irritation, "I know it's hard to admit for know-it-alls, but everyone can make mistakes, Toshiro. Don't worry, I'm sure someone will still be your friend- oh wait, you don't have any of those."

Toshiro shot her a death glare which just made her give him a shit eating grin. He smacked away her hand.

"I'll have to report this to Captain Kuchiki," said Toshiro, looking away from her, "I'm sure he'll want to contact his Lieutenant to see exactly what's going on."

"You go do that, little Captain," Kaida saluted him mockingly which made him scowl at her.

"I'm sure that Captain Kuchiki will want to question you," said Toshiro briskly, turning on his heel, "Possibly even tonight. So don't get too comfortable."

"Yeah, yeah, business, business. You're so dull, Toshiro, you know that?" Kaida said.

"Well that's the difference between you and me," said Toshiro, eyeing her with distain, "I'm not a child."

"No, that's not the difference between us, Toshiro," said Kaida, grinning light-heartedly at him, "I know how to have fun, to let go and actually live, ya know? And while you sit in your office doing your paper work, just know that Kaida Abarai is out there in the field having the time of her life."

"You're irresponsible and ignorant," said Toshiro simply, "While you call that 'fun' I call it a liability. There's a reason I became a Captain and you're still just a third seat."

"And that reason is because I'm fine just where I am," said Kaida, lacing her hands behind her head, "After all, if I became a Captain, I could end up sitting in an office all day and-" she gasped dramatically, "I could become as dull and boring as you!" she mock fainted, spinning with her wrist to her forehead and falling back into Toshiro.

Toshiro grunted in disapproval, but caught her out of reflex.

"Honestly, Kaida, I will never understand how you're even a Soul Reaper," he growled.

"And what… is going on here…?"

Kaida opened her eyes to see a familiar figure standing a few feet from them, having just entered the street through the nearby intersection. His hair, the same shade of red as hers, was tied back in a wild spiky array, keeping his face clear of strands and revealing the intricate tattoos along his forehead and brows. He was head and shoulders taller than both her and Toshiro. He looked at the scene, of Kaida leaning back into Toshiro's chest and him holding her by the upper arms.

Kaida burst forward so fast that in nearly made Toshiro fall over. She pounced at the red-haired man in a flurry of excitement.

"Renjiiiiii!" she squealed, latching onto his torso like a monkey.

"BAH!" Renji squawked in surprise, "Kaida! What are you doing here?"

Toshiro was dusting himself off with an irritated scowl, "Perhaps you could teach your sister proper respect for her superiors, Abarai. She's lucky that Captain Zaraki is so fond of her, otherwise she would never get away with such behavior."

With that, Toshiro turned and went around the corner, vanishing from sight.

Kaida hopped down from Renji, looking after him.

"He's such a killjoy," she said with a pout.

"Kaida!" Renji snapped, making her flinch, "What the hell is going on? I thought you were still in the world of the living, and why do you have to keep pissing off Captain Hitsugaya? You can't go disrespecting Captains like that, no matter how you knew them before!"

"Psha! Toshiro doesn't count."

"Kaida!"

"Stop being so loud, don't you know it's the middle of the night?" Kaida flicked his nose.

Renji stood there with a look of irritation on his face, "Will you just explain to me what's going on?" he sighed.

Kaida explained the same story she gave Toshiro. It seemed Renji was going to give her the same reaction as well.

"But that's ridiculous," he said, "Why would she send you back when it was pulling teeth to get Captain Zaraki to let you go anyway?"

Kaida remembered that. Kenpachi admired Kaida for her combat skill and insisted she only get sent on what he deemed as 'worthy' missions. Which meant the most dangerous. And to him, being sent as back up to something as benign as a high Hollow population was not a good enough challenge for Kaida. She swore that he was trying to turn her into a little version of himself. Probably just trying to get her to the point where he could fight her himself and actually get a challenge out of it. She could see that.

"Beats me," said Kaida, looking away.

She hated lying to her brother. He had raised her ever since she could remember, having been just a baby when they first met Rukia, so naturally, she could also say Rukia had been there ever since she could remember as well. Renji may be a pain sometimes, and he was often far too protective of Kaida, not realizing that she was more than capable now of handling herself, but he was still her big brother.

"It doesn't seem right," said Renji, crossing his arms and looking pensive.

"Well Toshiro said he was going to tell Byakuya," said Kaida, "So I'm guessing he'll contact Rukia. But she'll probably just tell him the same thing. That was too small of a job for two of us. Aw man, I'm gonna catch hell from Kenpachi! I was the one that convinced him it was going to be worth it…"

Renji sighed, "It still concerns me that he only wants to send you on missions where he's only satisfied that you come back and have to go straight to squad four."

"It's fun!" said Kaida truthfully.

Renji scowled at her, "You're impossible sometimes…"

Kaida beamed, "Impossibly awesome! Come on. Let's go before the little Captain comes back and bores us to death with his lectures about 'respect' and 'etiquette'."

*.*.*

Kaida made her way along one of the seireitei streets, hands laced behind her head. It had been a week since she returned, leaving Rukia with Kisuke and that strange human that had absorbed all her powers. She couldn't help but wonder if she did the right thing. Kisuke Urahara wasn't exactly a bad person, but Kaida couldn't help but feel uneasy about the whole thing.

"There you are, Kaida."

Kaida blinked and turned, "Oh, t'sup Renji? I thought you were on duty or something."

"I've been looking for you all over the place," said Renji, scowling at her.

Kaida craned her head back to look at him.

"What for?" she asked.

"Captain Kuchiki wanted to ask you some more questions," said Renji, "And I'm curious too."

Kaida sighed heavily, rolling her eyes, "You guys already asked me questions and I already answered all of them, why do I have to go back? I'm on patrol."

"Captain Kuchiki already spoke to Kenpachi," said Renji gruffly, "Don't make me drag you there."

"Ha! As if you could. You may be the big brother, but I think I could take you on easy!" Kaida reached up and flicked his nose, her favorite way to annoy him.

"Tch!" Renji swatted her hand away, "This isn't a game, Kaida."

"Psha, stop being so broody," said Kaida, waving him off and turning, "If we're gonna go then let's go."

They made their way to squad thirteen's quarters and into the building where the captain kept his office. He was in there waiting for them, Byakuya Kuchiki. His black hair was held in portions by strange metallic ornaments, and his face looked cold and indifferent as always. He wore a white Captain's robes over his black kimono, and Kaida could see the hilt of his Zanpakuto at his hip.

"Kaida Abarai," he greeted formally.

"T'sup Byakuya?" Kaida beamed at him.

She saw the slightest twinge in his brow, the only sign of annoyance he gave her. She grinned wickedly.

"Just because you are the third seat in squad eleven does not give you the right to show such disrespect. It's Captain Kuchiki," he said sternly, "Captain Hitsugaya informed me that you've been neglecting to call him by his proper title as well."

"Such a killjoy," said Kaida, with a shrug, "Alright then, Captain Kuchiki, what did you need from me?"

"I wanted your recollection of the night you returned to the Soul Society again," said Byakuya.

"Again?" Kaida sighed dramatically, "I've only told you like ten times."

Byakuya just stared at her.

Renji elbowed her sharply and Kaida grunted, "Hey!"

"Just do it!" he hissed.

Kaida rolled her eyes, "I told you. After we cleared up the two Hollows, Rukia- er- Lieutenant Kuchiki told me that I would be of more use back here," she put on her best pout face, and to give her credit, Kaida was good at acting it up, crossing her arms and glaring at the ground, "She told me she didn't need my help and that I would just get in the way."

There was silence for a moment. Kaida looked up at Byakuya to see him studying her carefully.

"…So… can I go?" she asked.

"It's funny," said Byakuya, which almost made Kaida laugh, because she didn't think the Captain of squad six found ANYTHING funny, "I just can't shake the feeling you're hiding something."

Kaida scoffed, grinning at him and lacing her hands behind her head again, "Why would I do that? You think I wanted to come back to boring old patrol duty? Psha! I'd much rather be out there fighting actual threats! I mean, really, what could possibly ever get into the seireitei? Rukia's a jerk for sending me back," she scowled a legitimate scowl this time. She was pretty irritated that Rukia would send her off when she was so hurt. Didn't Rukia believe Kaida could help somehow?

Probably not. Kido wasn't Kaida's thing. She was just good as destroying things, not so much healing them. The only reason she got through the Academy so fast was because she, along with another certain irritating child prodigy, could summon her Zanpakuto within the first week. This led to her combat skill going off the charts, and when even her instructors couldn't handle her in a fight anymore, they let her graduate and sent her off to squad eleven. Renji and Rukia had been pretty miffed that she had surpassed them. But that didn't last long when Rukia got adopted into the Kuchiki family. As far as status, went, Rukia was her superior through and through, but Kaida's confidence told her she could still beat Rukia in a fight.

Kaida would have gone up in status, but she honestly had no true desire to be a Captain. Too much paper work. Not enough action. So she was happy to remain third seat in squad eleven.

"Very well," Byakuya looked away from her finally, nodding thoughtfully, "But if I discover you are lying, the consequences will be severe."

Kaida snorted, but then gained a serious tone, "So there's still no sign of her?" she asked.

Byakuya glanced back at her, "No."

Kaida sighed. They had lost contact with Rukia the day after the incident. Kaida was telling herself it was because Rukia didn't want the Soul Society to find out what she did or about the human. That Rukia had gone into hiding. She didn't want to think of the possibility that her friend was hurt or worse.

"You can go now," said Byakuya briskly.

Kaida and Renji left the building. As they headed down the streets, Renji let out an irritated growl.

"This isn't like her," he said.

"Don't be so uptight, I'm sure she's fine," said Kaida, elbowing him.

"How can you be taking this so lightly?" Renji demanded.

"Because I have confidence in Rukia's ability to take care of herself," said Kaida simply.

"This just feels different…" said Renji softly.

Kaida sighed. Renji wasn't the only one who felt like something was up…

*.*.*

Months passed by and there was still no sign of Rukia. Renji had become squad six lieutenant, and it seemed to have given him a rather big ego boost which was a little annoying. It wasn't like his cocky attitude needed fueling. Kaida was questioned a few more times, all of which she gave the same story, careful never to change the details. She was beginning to get worried. She knew there were two possibilities. Rukia was damned good at staying hidden until her powers returned, or she hadn't survived those injuries at all. Kaida told herself Kisuke wouldn't let that happen, but the man was strange. It always felt like he had some hidden motive…

Kaida was beginning to plan a way to go to the world of the living just so she could go check up on Rukia, see what actually happened, just to give her peace of mind. But it turned out she didn't have to.

"Kaida!"

Kaida blinked and looked down from the rooftop she had been perched on. She was technically on duty patrolling, but she really was just seeing how fast she could get from one end of the seireitei to the other by using the rooftops. She flipped off of the roof and landed in front of her brother. He had his lieutenant badge on his upper left arm and he looked both excited and worried.

"T'sup bro?" Kaida smiled at him.

"They found Rukia."

Kaida blinked, "Wait, what?"

Renji nodded, his face turning a bit grave, "And it now we know why she sent you away. It looks like Rukia has committed a sin, a nasty one."

Kaida felt like a stone had dropped into her gut. She kept her face in check, however, not showing any sign to her brother that she already knew what he was going to say.

"Rukia? No way," she scoffed, waving him off, "She's miss goody-two-shoes, follows all the rules and all miss proper noble. What could she have possibly done?"

"She gave her powers to a human," said Renji darkly.

Kaida let false surprise hit her face, staring at Renji with big eyes, "What?"

Renji nodded, "It's true. She's reported to be in a Gigai. She doesn't even have her Zanpakuto! And it looks like she's been training this human how to be a Soul Reaper!" he spat on the ground, "I don't know why she did it, but she's a fool! That human that took her powers is going to pay for this, I'm going to kill him for what he's done to Rukia. Her punishment is going to be severe…"

"But Rukia must have had a good reason!" said Kaida desperately, "I mean, we both know her, Renji. She wouldn't do something like this."

"Exactly, which is why I think it's the filthy human's fault," snarled Renji, glaring at the ground, "He must have tricked her somehow."

"That still doesn't make sense," said Kaida, crossing her arms and frowning at him, "Rukia's smart enough to not let some human trick her. And besides, how many humans can see us in the first place? There has to be a bigger reason."

Renji shook his head, "Once they pinpoint her location, Captain Kuchiki and I are going to get her."

"Let me come with you!" said Kaida, grabbing his arm, "Please, Renji! Rukia's my friend too."

Renji looked down at her and clapped a hand on her head, "Sorry, squirt, but no can do. We're barely getting the okay for us to go and not the execution squad."

Kaida winced.

"Hey, don't worry," said Renji, letting his hand slide to her shoulder in a comforting gesture rather than playful, "I'm sure Captain Kuchiki isn't going to allow them to execute her. It's his sister after all. Rukia has too much respect to be put to death for something like this. I'm sure she'll just be punished and demoted, that's all."

Kaida sighed heavily, "You better be right, Renji," she said, "But what about the human?"

Renji's face hardened and he took his hand away from her, "If I can, I'll kill him myself," he said savagely, "Then Rukia will get her powers back. After all, we can't allow some amateur running around with Soul Reaper powers, it could be disastrous."

Kaida remained silent. That carrot-top hadn't seemed that bad of a guy, even if he was out spoken and rude. He had heart. She wasn't sure she wanted him to die. But if she knew Rukia, that girl would have a plan of some sort.

"I have to go report back to Captain Kuchiki," said Renji, "But I thought you would want to know."

"Yeah," said Kaida softly, "Thanks, Renji."

Renji clapped a hand on her head again, ruffling her hair, making her growl in annoyance and duck away from him.

"Don't be so down," he said, "Everything's going to be okay, I promise."

"Just bring Rukia back safe," said Kaida, looking him in the eyes.

Renji nodded. With that, he turned and walked away at a brisk pace. Kaida watched him until he rounded the corner out of sight. She stood there staring after him, her mind spinning. They found Rukia. What did this mean? Was Renji right? Would she be safe from execution? And what about carrot-top?

"So you've heard."

Kaida yelped, nearly jumping out of her skin and she whirled, "DAMN IT, Toshiro, why do you keep DOING that?!"

Toshiro was standing directly behind her, his arms folded, a serious look on his face, his brows knit, "It's not my fault you're not observant."

"Did you want something? Or do you really just like stalking me all the time?" Kaida asked, hands on her hips.

"Pfft," Toshiro rolled his eyes, "Don't flatter yourself. I came to tell you that they've found Rukia Kuchiki, but it seems your brother beat me to it."

"Why would you go out of your way to come tell me?" asked Kaida.

Toshiro eyed her up and down, "To see you reaction."

Kaida perked a brow.

Toshiro narrowed his vivid turquoise eyes, "I still don't think you've been telling us the whole truth about the situation, Abarai," he said.

Kaida laughed, "Oh please! Toshiro you just look for excuses to make me look bad so that you look better by comparison," she leaned forward, fists on her hips and a smirk on her face, "But it doesn't matter because I'll always be the best fighter."

Toshiro scoffed, "Believe what you want, Abarai, but I think it's pretty obvious which of us is superior."

"Just because you got a neat little Captain's garment does NOT make you better than me, Toshiro."

"Believe whatever makes you feel better, Abarai," Toshiro said, turning, "But believe me, I will find out what you're hiding."

Kaida gave an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes, "You're not going to find anything, Toshiro. You're just wasting your time. Wouldn't you rather be in your little office doing paper work or some other useless boring crap?" she laughed.

Toshiro shot a glare back at her, "There will come a day you find out that only being decent at battle isn't going to get you anywhere. And I pray that I'm there to see the look on your face."

Toshiro began walking off, but Kaida called after him.

"Hey, Toshiro!"

He looked back at her with an angry face, "It's Captain Hitsugaya!"

Kaida laughed, "Right, little Captain, well while you're looking for ways to make me look bad, just know that what I do out on the field actually makes a difference. While you're all cozy in your little office, I'm out there saving souls and bringing down the Hollow population. You know, real stuff. So next time you want to compare who's better just based on title, you remember that," she grinned.

Toshiro narrowed his eyes, "You're far more ignorant than I thought possible."

"And you're just as stubborn and boring as ever," said Kaida with a beam.

Toshiro grunted and turned, walking out of sight. Kaida pouted after him.

"Damn it, I didn't win that time," she muttered, having failed to get Toshiro to call her by her first name.


	3. Alarms

The next morning, Kaida pulled herself out of bed with a yawn. As third seat, she had her own personal quarters. She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms for a moment. It was technically her day off today. But she knew that Kenpachi would want to train. Ever since she had been admitted into squad eleven, he had taken her under his wing, though not in the same sense as he had with the little pink haired lieutenant, Yachiru, She swore he was determined to make her into his little clone.

It didn't make entire sense to her, since her main thing was being able to communicate so easily with her Zanpakuto, and Kenpachi didn't even know his own blade's name. He often said it was a weakness to rely on it, and that all his strength was his alone. So Kaida was a bit confused as to why he would take such a shine to her when she and her Zanpakuto worked together seamlessly all the time. She guessed one day she might figure it out.

Stretching, Kaida got to her feet and got dressed, pulling on her ragged kimono and snatching her red scarf from where it was hanging on the back of her desk chair, she twined it around her neck. She slid open her door and made her way through the building and out onto the street. It was just sunrise. Kaida had planned on sleeping in longer. A few of her squad-mates were running about. It seemed they were in more of a frenzy than normal, especially for this early.

Kaida perked her brow, standing still for a moment as some of them rushed around her. One ran into her shoulder and turned, angered.

"Hey, watch where you're stand- oh! Abarai. Where've you been?!"

Kaida blinked up at him, crossing her arms, "Sleeping, duh. It's my day off."

The man before her had a gleaming bald head and two streaks of light purple trailing up from the corners of his eyes. This was the fourth seat in squad eleven, Ikkaku. He sighed down at her, shaking his head, "Well you missed out, then. Your brother and Captain Kuchiki left last night and just came back. They brought Rukia with them. Apparently they're sending some squad four members for Renji, though, he got-"

Kaida was up on the rooftop and running across the seireitei before another word left Ikkaku's mouth.

A moment later she was bursting through the door of the holding cell quarters. This was the small sitting room before the halls that actually led to the cells themselves. Kaida spotted her brother sitting one of the benches. A squad four member was pleading with him.

"Please, Lieutenant Abarai, allow me to fix your wounds…"

"Get lost, I don't need help," Renji snapped, making the poor guy flinch.

"RENJIIIIII!" Kaida pounced forward, making the squad four member yelp and dive out of the way just in time.

Renji yelped in pain when his kid sister barreled into him, "Kaida! Get off!"

Kaida bounced back, eyes widening at the scratch on her brother's chin and the ragged cut on his kimono's shoulder. She reached out to gingerly touch it, making him wince and when she brought her hand back she saw her fingers were wet with blood.

"Who did this to you?!" she cried.

Renji looked away, dejected, "No one you have to worry about now. He's probably bled out on the street at this point."

"What the heck happened?" asked Kaida, eyes wide.

Renji shook his head, "I did what I said. I got Rukia back safely. That's all there is to it."

"Where is she?"

"In one of the holding cells. We'll be hearing about her sentence within the next few days."

"What about the human?"

Renji glanced at his wounded shoulder.

Kaida gasped, "WAIT! The human did this to you?!" she felt anger bristle up inside her. Being and okay guy or not, carrot-top was not allowed to hurt her big brother. No one was. Period.

"He's dead by now, anyway," said Renji, "Left him and some other interfering human in the street, there's no way they were going to survive long. But Rukia begged us not to deal the killing blow," he glared angrily at the ground, "I can't believe what she's done."

*.*.*

The next day, Kaida was allowed to visit Rukia in her cell. She stepped in tentatively, messing with her scarf nervously. Rukia sat in a lone chair within the cell, her back to the bars. Kaida slid the door shut behind her. She was in the visitor's area, outside of the cell, but they still had a room to themselves.

"I've heard everything…" she said, "Rukia… if I had known…"

"Stop it."

Kaida let her voice drop, looking on with sad eyes. Rukia's voice sounded so lifeless.

"None of this was any of your fault, Kaida. It was mine. All of it," said Rukia softly.

Kaida stepped close to the bars and sat down beside them, resting her forehead on one and closing her eyes, "But if I had stayed…"

"Then you would just be in the cell with me. And what good would that have done, Kaida?" asked Rukia, glancing back at her.

Kaida looked up to see the fogged over look in Rukia's normally bright violet eyes.

"I'm sorry for what happened to… to the human…" said Kaida, trying to hide the bitterness in her tone. She hadn't exactly wanted the kid to die, but he had hurt Renji, and that was nearly unforgivable in Kaida's book.

"His name was Ichigo Kurosaki," said Rukia blandly, looking away.

Kaida wasn't sure what to say. Words of comfort weren't going to do Rukia any good, she knew that. She couldn't imagine what her friend was going through. And Kaida felt miserable that even though she had been involved, Rukia was taking the entire blame.

The door behind Kaida opened at that point and Kaida scrambled up to see Renji step inside. He looked from Kaida to Rukia with a hard look on his face.

"Kaida. I didn't realize you were here."

"Sorry about that. I wanted to see Rukia," said Kaida.

Renji nodded lightly, closing the door behind him. For a moment, he stood there, and the three of them were silent. So many memories between the three of them… These were the two people Kaida remembered being with since the beginning of her time. Renji, who raised her and protected her, and Rukia who was always like an older sister. For the longest time, it seemed the three of them would always face the world together. But they had all slowly drifted apart, with Rukia being adopted into the Kuchiki Clan, Kaida excelling so fast and thoroughly through the squads, and Renji left to make his own path in their wake.

And here they were together again.

In the most unfortunate of circumstances.

Renji opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't seem to find the words. He sighed instead and slumped further into the room, pausing by the bars. He looked like he was in some kind of inner turmoil. Kaida felt another stab of guilt. Maybe… maybe if she had told Renji… would that have changed things? Would he understand then? Would Rukia be in this position now, or would her punishment have been less severe?

Would that have changed the fact that Ichigo was dead now? Or that Renji was still recovering from his wounds?

Kaida felt like she was in a sea of agony. She felt like there were so many things she could have done to prevent this, but she had done nothing. She had just returned to the seireitei, and acted like she had never seen Rukia give her powers to that human, like she hadn't left her friend injured in the street with Urahara.

So many things she could have done differently…

Yet she hadn't.

Maybe some of the things Toshiro said to her were true. Maybe she was ignorant and irresponsible. Maybe he was better than her.

No!

No way was that boring, dull, little genius better than her!

Renji seemed to notice the change in her facial expression at her thoughts and he perked a tattooed brow, "Kaida?"

Kaida blinked, returning to the world around her and stuffing away angry thoughts about Toshiro, "Oh! Sorry, I was just…" she trailed off, looking down.

Before more could be said by any of them the door slid open again.

Kaida and Renji looked over to see Byakuya step inside. As usual, his facial expression was cold and distant, revealing no true emotion.

"Captain Kuchiki!" Renji stood at attention formally. Kaida meanwhile continued looking on, a terrible feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

"Word has returned, and I have details of the sentence," said Byakuya dryly, "Rukia Kuchiki has been found guilty of all prosecuted crimes and her punishment will be carried out through execution."

The world seemed to stop. Kaida and Renji both stood rigid, eyes widening in horror. Kaida almost felt the words leave her mouth, spilling everything she knew about what had happened to lead to Rukia losing her powers, screaming that it was justified, that if she hadn't, that Hollow would have killed that entire family, let alone who else it could have ran into before Kaida was able to show up. But Kaida remained silent. She knew how much Rukia had sacrificed just to keep people safe. The human, most likely others she had met in the human world too, and even Kaida with ordering her to return to the Soul Society.

Kaida knew it would only put Rukia in more pain if Kaida admitted she had known and remained silent. It would get her possibly in just as much trouble. And then the last person Rukia had managed to keep safe would no longer be so. Kaida knew that would just break the already broken girl before her. She couldn't bring herself to do it.

"What did you say…?" breathed Renji.

"You heard me, I should not have to repeat myself," said Byakuya indifferently, "Thirty days from now, Rukia will receive the ultimate punishment for her sins."

With that, he turned and left them. Kaida looked back at Rukia, but her friend was facing away from her. There was no way to tell what she was thinking. Kaida felt like she was going to fall to her knees. How could it have come to this? All due to one human…

*.*.*

The next few days passed almost painfully. Kaida went along realizing each passing day brought them closer to the death of Rukia Kuchiki. How could he? Byakuya… It was his sister! How could he have passed the news so coldly? Not so much with an ounce of pity or anger in his tone. It had been like he was reporting the weather to them. She knew he had the power to fight this sentence, he was the head of one of the four great Clans after all, and yet he did nothing.

Kaida knew if it were her big brother, she would have never even been put in the cell. He wouldn't have allowed it. It was what big brothers were supposed to do- protect their little sisters. Mind you, Kaida didn't much like it when anyone, even Renji, tried to protect her since she was more than capable of handling herself, but that was beside the point.

Something wasn't right.

It almost seemed too harsh a punishment for Rukia's sin. Execution? For losing her powers?

Kaida was doing her patrols, walking along the streets in almost a numb state. All she could think was why? Why was all this happening?

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Kaida paused, perking up at the sound. She hadn't heard it in a long time. The alarm that they used in the seireitei. A voice boomed out over the streets.

"Emergency! Emergency! Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Ryoka have been spotted outside the seireitei! This is not a drill! Repeat! This is not a drill!"

Kaida was on the move. She leapt to the nearest rooftop and took off back toward the barracks. Intruders? At the gates? Impossible. But like it mattered, the gate keeper would take care of them, easy.

Still though…

Kaida paused. She glanced behind her. She wasn't that far from one of the gates now…

Without even really making the conscience decision, Kaida was already running for the gate.

By the time she arrived, she found quite the incredible scene before her. The gatekeeper… he was holding up the gate! She blinked in shock when she landed at the back of the large courtyard between the first of the seireitei buildings and the gate. She had only seen this gate keeper once before. He was massive, and she knew he had never, not once, been defeated. So what the heck was going one here?

And then she spotted a second surprise.

There was a Captain here. And not just any Captain. It was Gin Ichimaru, Captain of squad three. She would never mistake that silver hair or the eerie feeling she got when looking at him, even if he wasn't facing her. He was brandishing his Zanpakuto, and Kaida blinked in surprise when the blade suddenly extended out, snaking up and stabbing the gate keeper in his massive arm, making him wail in agony.

It was then Kaida received her third shocker.

An orange-haired Soul Reaper brandishing a massive Zanpakuto was running at Gin with a roar on his lips.

"No flippin' way…" Kaida breathed, her eyes widening.

Before she could move, Gin had retracted his blade and then extended it again, this time at his attacker, forcing the latter to bring up his sword, using the flat of it to block the tip of the blade. IT did not, however, stop the momentum, and he was pushed out of the gate with such force it knocked the gatekeeper back as well. As the gate slid closed, Gin waved at them, speaking something Kaida was too far away to hear.

The gate slammed shut, the so called Ryoka on the outside.

Kaida was frozen to the spot.

That…

That had been Ichigo Kurosaki.

What the hell?!

Gin turned, and for the first time spotted her. He paused in his step, perking a brow. Gin had this interesting thing where his eyes never seemed to open. It was almost like they were sealed shut in this happy-as-can-be-to-gut-you sort of pose. And that smile… Kaida called it a creeper smile due to the way it crawled up his cheeks, threatening to touch his ears. Didn't his cheeks hurt? Ever? It, like his closed eyes, never seemed to fade either. It twitched now, the only sign that he was surprised to see her… or… did he see her? His eyes were of course, closed.

"Kaida Abarai, I didn't see you there," he drawled.

Kaida tried to find her voice, "Of course not, your eyes are closed."

Gin laughed as he began to walk toward her. Kaida had to admit, he unnerved her a bit, which was hard to do. But it wasn't because of his potential strength, or that she thought he was a threat. It was how he was so difficult to read. Kaida was usually pretty good at unnerving people herself, but usually through her constant witty remarks that would hit home. Gin had a way of just coming into the room and it was as if every step he took could send shivers to everyone there.

He too, had a way with words, Kaida knew, and this too was what made her uncomfortable around him. With the simplest comment, he could reach into one's mind and completely undo them then slip away without them even realizing what had happened. He was one sly fox to say the least.

And that…. Damned… creeper smile….

But Kaida wasn't scared of him, no. She knew full well that Gin posed no threat to the likes of her.

"Heard the noise and got curious, Firefly?" he asked, stopping a few feet from her.

Firefly was a nickname Kaida had received back when she first graduated. Somehow she didn't like Gin using it much.

"You stabbed our gatekeeper," Kaida said, frowning at him.

"He failed at his duty," said Gin simply, "Being a gatekeeper means protecting the gate from being passed through by intruders. If he's defeated by Ryoka, he isn't supposed to open the gate for them. He's supposed to die."

The way he said the whole thing with that smile on his face made Kaida nearly twitch.

"I- but- just-" Kaida spluttered.

Gin's smile, if possible, got wider, "Now, now, Firefly, don't tell me you think otherwise."

Kaida didn't really know how to respond to that seriously. So she didn't.

"Well, killing him seems kinda a big hassle, can you imagine the hole we'd have to dig?" she got her grin back.

Gin chuckled softly, "So very typical of you, Firefly. Facing life with a joke."

"You think I'm kidding?" laughed Kaida, "Seriously, we'd have to dig a crater. Say, who was that carrot-top anyway? Wasn't he wearing a kimono? He looked like a Soul Reaper," she frowned at Gin, changing the subject and trying to disguise the fact that she had recognized Ichigo in the same move.

Gin smiled back at the closed gate, "Oh, him? I couldn't say. But he couldn't have been a Soul Reaper, otherwise the gatekeeper would have let him through, don't you think?"

Kaida nodded thoughtfully, "Guess so, but that still doesn't make sense- didn't he have a Zanpakuto too?"

"It was far larger than any Zanpakuto I've ever seen," said Gin cheerfully.

"Maybe it was released."

"You seem awfully interested in that Ryoka, Firefly," said Gin, looming over her, "It takes quite a bit to peak your interest. I must ask why you're so curious all of the sudden."

Kaida laughed and laced her hands behind her head, "Well come on, Gin, you know it's been a long time since we've seen real excitement around here!"

Gin's creeper smile changed a bit. It curled more, making it seem far more sinister than usual. Kaida knew it wasn't because of her not calling him Captain. She had done it plenty of times before, and he was one of the few Captains that didn't seem to mind her referring to him so casually.

"Ah, I don't think you'll have to worry about that, little Firefly," he assured, stepping past her, "I can assure you… things are about to get far, far more exciting…"

Kaida didn't know why his words threatened to send a shudder down her spine. She turned to look at him, opening her mouth to ask what he meant, but Gin was gone.

"What's happening…?" Kaida muttered to herself.

Ichigo- alive and here of all places! What the hell was that mouse-brain thinking?! Rukia had sacrificed EVERYTHING to keep him safe. It was a miracle the kid was even alive! But what does he do? Show up here like an idiot, swinging around that buster sword of a Zanpakuto like he owned the place! Didn't he realize this could only end in one way? There was no way Ichigo was going to survive here. He had been taken down by Byakuya and Renji alone, what about the other twelve Captains and Lieutenants, not to mention all the seated Soul Reapers, including prodigies like Kaida herself?

"Carrot-top, you moron…" Kaida sighed.

Well it didn't matter now, he was outside of the gate. There was no way he could get into the seireitei. Kaida thought vaguely about telling Rukia. But she figured she should wait… just in case. If she told Rukia that Ichigo was alive now just to inform her later that he had been killed, it would just boost her hopes up to dash them back down twice as hard when she first thought he was dead. That wasn't going to do her any good now.

Kaida decided then that she didn't like this Ichigo much. After everything Rukia did, how could he just end up coming here anyway? Didn't he realize he was hurting her more than anything? There was no way he could rescue her. Even Kaida couldn't do that, not on her own.

Another announcement came overhead for the seated squad members to gather at their barracks for orders. Kaida turned from the gate and began jumping across the rooftops once again. Even though she told herself it was over, that Ichigo had been stopped and would just give up and go home, she knew deep down that wasn't the case.

This was the start of something big.


	4. Eavesdropping and a Cat

"Abarai!"

Kaida paused, glancing over her shoulder. She was in the courtyard where all the seated squad members were supposed to gather. She saw the one who hailed her was none other than the fifth seat, Yumichika. She eyed his weird feathery accessories adorned on his right eyebrow and eyelashes. He thought they were the most beautiful thing to add to his features. Kaida thought it made him look like an idiot.

"T'sup, Yumi?" Kaida beamed at him.

"The Captains are in a meeting right now, and I just got a hail butterfly stating you're being summoned there," said Yumichika loftily.

Kaida perked a brow, "What? Why?"

Yumichika scoffed, "How should I know? But you better not keep them waiting."

"You in trouble, Kaida?" Ikkaku asked with a smirk.

Kaida snorted, "I'm never in trouble, Ikkaku, I am trouble," she said with a smirk.

The trip to squad one's territory took about ten minutes when Kaida used the rooftops. She could flash-step to go faster, but she wanted to take her time and think about why in the world she was being summoned to a Captain's meeting. She was just a third seat. She didn't want anything to do with their strategizing or boring talk. _Was_ she in trouble? Maybe Kenpachi couldn't keep her neck safe from all the times she refused to call anyone by 'proper' titles. She would bet anything Toshiro was behind it if that was the case. Little bastard.

Kaida felt a bit odd stepping into the room where the Captains were. They were lined up on either side of the room in two lines, and between them at the head was the Captain of squad one, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. Kaida had taken to calling him one of his more popular nicknames, Old Man Yamamoto.

"Uh… t'sup?" she grinned.

She saw Toshiro on her right, the shortest of all the Captains by… a lot. He looked like a child here. It was kind of hilarious. Except Kaida was his same height, so she too felt extremely short. Kenpachi was beside him and he was the one that spoke first.

"Kaida, good," he said, looking all-business, "You got the message."

"Yup!" said Kaida cheerfully, "What'cha need?"

"It seems you were a witness to the topic in question," said Old Man Yamamoto, his long beard trailing down his front, bald head revealing the X shaped scar, and his eyes squinted. He looked damned ancient, "Captain Ichimaru is being trialed for his solo attack on the Ryoka that attempted to enter the seireitei. While he did prevent them from entering, he advanced on his own, and allowed the target to escape?"

Kaida glanced at Gin. He was facing her, eyes still shut, creeper smile in place. It was like he was daring her to rat on him. Kaida was never one for being a snitch. But hell, they already knew the details anyway, so what did it matter? Besides. She wasn't scared of the likes of Gin. He may be a Captain, but she was Kaida freaking Abarai. Bring it on, creeper fox!

"Yeah, I guess that about sums it up," said Kaida.

Gin's smile didn't falter, but instead widened. Somehow that seemed worse.

"I assure you, I was just passing by and saw the scene. I could not simply allow some Ryoka into the seireitei, I was also under the impression they were dead," he said loftily.

"Are you telling me you couldn't even tell if you killed them?" snapped Kenpachi.

"Gin Ichimaru, how do you defend yourself?" demanded Old Man Yamamoto.

There was a pause in which everyone looked at Gin.

"I cannot," said Gin simply, running a hand through his silver hair, "You see I made a mistake, simple as that. I'll accept whatever punish-"

"Just a moment, Ichimaru."

Sozen Aizen, Captain of squad five, stepped forward. Aizen had wavy brown hair and dark rectangular framed spectacles which flashed in the light, "I have a question to ask you."

Before more could be said, there was the familiar Clack! Clack! Clack! Of the alarm and an announcement.

"What's going on?" asked Aizen, looking up.

"Emergency! Emergency! There are intruders in the seireitei! Repeat! There are intruders in the seireitei! This is not a drill! Repeat! This is not a drill!"

"Huh, so they got in anyway," Kaida sighed.

"Wait, do you think it could be the same Ryoka from before?" asked Kenpachi.

"But how could they possibly have breached security?" demanded Aizen.

"Kaida."

Kenpachi was looking at her.

"Yup?"

"I want you to find Ikkaku and Yumichika and patrol with them and let me know if you find these Ryoka," he smirked widely, "I'm curious to see how they survived an encounter with a Captain."

"Right!" Kaida beamed.

Kenpachi left the room at that, at a sprint.

"Kenpachi, wait!" someone called.

He didn't listen, vanishing from sight. Kaida laughed, shaking her head. "Yup, bored Kenpachi is a scary Kenpachi."

"This is most unfortunate, but we have little choice. This case will have to be suspended," said Old Man Yamamoto, "Captains, gather your squads and report to your battle stations, right away."

The Captains began to step out. Surprising how lax they seemed to move despite there being an alarm out of intruders. Kaida went to follow, but a hand caught her arm. Kaida looked back to see Toshiro glaring at her.

"Oh, you," she said in an unenthusiastic voice, "This important? I kinda got orders from my Captain, you know."

The other Captains were filing out around them.

"Abarai, you said one of the Ryoka looked like a Soul Reaper?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Kaida, "Kimono, Zanpakuto, the whole nine yards."

"But what would a Soul Reaper be doing with the Ryoka?" Toshiro asked.

"See, I would have asked, but Gin kinda shot him out of the gate like a canon. Pretty sure he was dead. But I guess not," Kaida glanced down to see Toshiro was still gripping her arm, "And if you want to hold hands, there's two problems. First, that's my elbow, second, I don't want to catch your boring."

Toshiro narrowed his eyes dangerously, but jerked his hand back like he had been electrocuted. Kaida laughed at him.

"You're so easy to mess with," she said.

"Shut it, Abarai…" Toshiro muttered, looking away, but Kaida could see the red in his cheeks.

"Aw! Are you blushing? That would be adorable if you weren't such a loser," she reached out and ruffled his hair.

"Kaida!" he snapped, smacking her hand away.

"Ha! I win," she fist pumped, beaming.

Toshiro opened his mouth to retort, but someone else spoke before him, making both the young Soul Reapers look back into the room.

There were still two Captains left. One was Gin, and he seemed to be in a conversation with Aizen.

"Convenient timing for the Ryoka to invade," Aizen was saying in a dull tone, "…You don't really think you're going to get away with it, do you, Ichimaru?"

"Why don't you just come out and say it…? You're not making much sense," said Gin smoothly.

Kaida frowned, opening her mouth to speak, but Toshiro shot her a look and placed a finger to his lips that hushed her on the spot. It appeared the two Captains across the room didn't realize that they were still there.

"Just remember…" said Aizen, "Don't underestimate me, Ichimaru."

Toshiro grabbed Kaida's hand, nearly making her yelp but he pulled her out of the room so fast she didn't get the chance. Once in the hall, he glanced back, but kept walking at a brisk pace, his grip on Kaida firm.

"What are-?" Kaida began.

"Sh!" he hissed, his tone so urgent it made her voice die in her throat.

It didn't seem like Gin or Aizen had realized that the two of them had heard their conversation. Once out of the main building and into the streets, Toshiro released Kaida's hand.

"What the heck, Toshiro?!" Kaida shouted.

"Will you quiet down?" snapped Toshiro, "It was obvious that they didn't realize they were being overheard, we had to leave before they saw us, idiot."

"Why?" asked Kaida, crossing her arms, "I mean, from the way that Aizen was talking-"

"It seemed like Captain Ichimaru is up to something," Toshiro finished for her, narrowing his eyes and looking away thoughtfully, "I don't understand… If Captain Aizen knows something, why wouldn't he tell the other Captains?"

"Look I'll admit it was kinda weird," said Kaida with a shrug, "But really, what's there to do?"

"I don't know," said Toshiro, crossing his arms, "Look, don't tell anyone what you heard, not yet."

"You're not my Captain," laughed Kaida, "I don't have to listen to you."

"Kaida!" Toshiro looked at her, his turquoise eyes gleaming.

"Wow, two wins in a row, I'm doing good today…" Kaida muttered.

"Please, just keep your mouth shut," said Toshiro, "I need to figure out what's going on… but we have to deal with these Ryoka first."

Kaida hopped up onto the roof of the nearest building, "Don't worry, about it, Toshiro," she called, "I'll go do the real job of dealing with the intruders, you just go behind your desk and play detective with all your paper work."

"It's Captain Hitsugaya," Toshiro corrected almost dryly.

Kaida laughed, "See ya later, little Captain!" she waved.

Kaida flash-stepped away at that point, rushing off back to the barracks to get Ikkaku and Yumichika. She just wondered what she would actually do if she ran into Ichigo Kurosaki.

Let alone if he recognized her.

*.*.*

"There you guys are!"

Kaida landed in the street, catching both Ikkaku and Yumichika off guard. They both yelped and startled. Kaida giggled, tossing her scarf over her shoulder.

"You two should really be more alert, there are Ryoka running around, you know," she said.

"Abarai, Ryoka can't flash-step," said Ikkaku dryly.

"Says who? One lived against Gin. And Kenpachi seems super excited to find them. You know he doesn't get hyped up over just any battle. That's why I'm here by the way, we're supposed to look for the Ryoka and find the strongest one for him," said Kaida with a beam.

Ikkaku and Yumichika looked at one another them back.

"You said one lived against Captain Ichimaru?" Ikkaku asked, grinning.

"Sure did," said Kaida.

"We had better find them before the other squads then," said Yumichika loftily, "And test to see which is the strongest."

"Good point, because if they can lose to us, then they definitely wouldn't be worthy of Captain Zaraki," said Ikkaku.

"Details, details," said Kaida, turning around, "Well we better get moving it's not like the Ryoka are going to come to us-"

She cut off mid-sentence when the ground ten feet in front of her suddenly exploded, but not in a typical way. In fact, it looked like a small crater of the walkway was just suddenly replaced with sand. And then something falling from the sky crashed into it, sending sand flying everywhere. Kaida was just out of range of the tidal wave of grains. Ikkaku and Yumichika came to her sides and the three of them stepped forward, peering into the sand pit.

"What the hell was that?" Ikkaku asked.

Two heads popped out of the sand, gasping for air. Kaida nearly fell over when she recognized that brilliant orange hair of the one on the right.

"Ganju what the hell was that?!" Ichigo demanded, grabbing the other man, a bigger guy with a strong jaw and angular nose with dark hair and a wrap of cloth tied on his head.

"That was me saving our lives, you idiot!" the one called Ganju retorted.

"We were supposed to stay together, now we have no clue where the others are!" Ichigo snapped.

"Well, we just got to find them then, don't we?" Ganju growled, "We'll just lay low and avoid any Soul Rea-" he turned his head, just now noticing the three witnesses to their argument.

Kaida didn't know what to do. She couldn't back down, not in front of Ikkaku and Yumichika. But why did it HAVE to be Ichigo?! What if he recognized her? She had a crazy inner battle of what to do varying from knocking the kid out before he could speak to flash-stepping away claiming that she was going to inform Kenpachi they found them to just wrapping her scarf around her face completely. But all her thinking and not taking action drained her time.

Ichigo was looking at her.

After the initial shock of seeing three Soul Reapers looming over them, he had set his focus on her, and she could see his eyes turn pensive.

No.

Don't you do it.

Don't you freaking do it, carrot-top!

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, "Wait a minute…"

DAMN IT!

"Well what do you know!" Ikkaku cried before more could be said. Kaida could have kissed him for distracting Ichigo, "The Ryoka everyone's looking for just happen to fall right into our laps!"

He began to jig, and Kaida glanced at him with a perked brow.

"Lucky lucky!" he sang, "Lucky lucky! I'm so lucky-y-y-y!"

Kaida laughed, forgetting for a moment about what she was so worried about, "Ikkaku, you look like a moron!"

"Hey!" he paused, glaring at her, "How dare you interrupt my lucky dance!"

"I had to for the sake of your image. I'm looking out for you, bro," Kaida tapped her knuckles to his bicep.

"I hate you sometimes."

"Hang on!" cried Ichigo suddenly, "You're the Soul Reaper that was with Rukia!"

Oh yeah, that's what she was worried about.

Kaida looked down at Ichigo, trying to hide how she was flailing like a maniac on the inside, "Huh? How do you know Rukia?" she asked.

Ichigo apparently didn't take the hint.

"Don't you recognize m-" he began.

Kaida flash-stepped behind him, putting him into a headlock before anyone could even breathe. He stood rigid with shock. Kaida was only able to do this since he was still knee-deep in sand and she was on solid ground with their height differences.

"Gotcha!" she sang.

Then in a murmured tone that only he could hear, using her scarf to hide her moving lips, she said, "Shut it, carrot-top! No one's supposed to know I was there!"

Ichigo regained himself, grabbing onto her arm that was latched around his neck and pulling. He was strong, but Kaida held on easily, smirking.

"So, wanna answer my question, carrot-top?" Kaida asked louder so Ikkaku and Yumichika could hear her, "How do you know Rukia?"

"This couldn't possibly be the human that took her powers… could it?" asked Ikkaku.

"Ganju!" Ichigo snapped, "Don't just sit there, help me!"

Ganju had indeed been just sitting there, staring on with shock when Kaida had appeared and caught Ichigo. But now he shook himself, and was pulling something out of his pocket.

"Right!" he cried.

Kaida yelped when something flashed and exploded in brilliant colors in her eyes, blinding her and making her flinch backward, losing her grip on Ichigo.

"Run!"

Kaida was blinking stars out of her eyes as the two of them barreled past her and down the street.

"Oh how cute, they're running," said Ikkaku.

"Sloppy of you to lose your grip on him, Abarai," said Yumichika.

Kaida shot him a beam, "My bad! Better catch 'em, huh?"

"I'll get the one that mentioned Rukia," said Ikkaku, smirking, "I'm curious how exactly he does know her."

"Ugh, does that mean I have to get the ugly one?" sighed Yumichika.

"What about me?" Kaida demanded.

"You had your chance, you let them get away, it's our turn," said Ikkaku.

"Jerks," said Kaida, crossing her arms, "Fine. I wanted to find Renji anyway. Just remember that Kenpachi wanted to play with the Ryoka too!"

"Yeah, yeah, come on, Yumichika," said Ikkaku.

They took off after Ichigo and Ganju at that point. Kaida looked after them, not bothering to mention she had released Ichigo on purpose.

*.*.*

With Ryoka on the loose and squad members running all over the place in the streets, Kaida took to the roofs to attempt to find her brother. She scanned the squad six territory and didn't find anything. She then went to where Rukia was being held to see if he was visiting her. However upon entering the building, she saw one of the squad four members sulking in front of an empty cell with a tray of food in his hands. One of the Reaper guards was speaking to him.

"I told you, she was sent to the Repentance Cell."

"But so soon?" asked the squad four member in a wavering tone, "Her execution is still nearly three weeks away."

"It's been changed," said the guard briskly, "Moved up."

"What?" Kaida wailed, making the two look at her.

"Oh, Kaida Abarai," said the guard, "I'm guessing you came to visit Rukia. Like I was telling Hanataro here, she's been moved to the Repentance Cell."

"Why was her execution moved up?" Kaida demanded.

"Hey, I don't know, I'm not the one who ordered it," said the guard hastily.

"Ugh!" Kaida threw up her arms, "Have you seen Renji? Er- Lieutenant Abarai… whatever."

"No, I haven't," said the guard, "He's probably at his battle station, shouldn't you be out there searching for the Ryoka too?"

"Ikkaku and Yumichika are on that, actually," Kaida sighed.

She turned and headed out of the building at that, her mind spinning. Rukia's execution date moved up… why? Her sin wasn't even that dire- not compared to some. So why did it seem like her punishment was just getting more extreme? She couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on.

"Uh- e-excuse me- miss Abarai?"

Kaida glanced over her shoulder to see that the squad four kid had followed her. What had that guard called him? Hanataro.

"T'sup medic?" Kaida perked a brow at him.

"I- I was just wondering… what your relation to miss Kuchiki was," said Hanataro.

He was a slim guy, with shoulder length black hair parted down the middle to frame his baby-face. His eyes were wide and blue, practically sparkling with innocence. Kaida wondered if this kid had ever actually picked up a Zanpakuto. Squad eleven and squad four didn't get along too well. While Kaida's squad strived for fighting and glory in battle alone, squad four focused on using Kido to heal and treat wounds. Most of their members were practically pacifists. Or pansies in Kaida's eyes. But she didn't completely hate squad four like most of her fellows. After all, they had patched her up a good few times before she was the battle-master she was today. In fact she was pretty sure she had seen Hanataro before. Wasn't he a seat?

"Renji and I were friends with her in the before times," said Kaida with a smile.

"'Before times'?"

"You know! Before we became Soul Reapers," said Kaida.

"Oh! Of course," Hanataro laughed nervously, "I'm sorry, I think I knew that- or heard it somewhere."

"Uh huh… so… did you.. like… need anything else?" Kaida asked, "I still need to find my brother."

"Oh! No! Sorry for bothering you, miss Abarai!" Hanataro said in a rush.

"Don't sweat it, medic, and chill out," she grinned, "I'm not like most of the high-ups, or like most of my squad even. Though I'm still gonna call you a wimp," she laughed, clapping him on the shoulder, making him flinch, "But I'm not gonna beat ya up or anything. And I'll actually acknowledge that I appreciate your healin' stuffs. And call me Kaida."

"Uh- uh- o-okay," stammered Hanataro, "Kah-ee-dah…" he pronounced it slowly as if testing how it sounded.

"That's much better!" said Kaida, then jumped up onto the nearest rooftop, "Laters, medic! Careful to watch out for those Ryoka! And if you see Renji tell him I was looking for him!"

"R-right!" Hanataro was looking up at her in awe.

Kaida waved and then ran off. What a timid little thing. It was weird how he treated her with such respect. Yeah, a lot of people knew Kaida and how strong she was for her age, but her carefree and what some would call 'disrespectful' attitude, she rarely was spoken to with such regard. Most respected her fighting skills, and would compliment her on how talented she was, but she was still mostly spoken to like she was a child.

One thing Toshiro did have up on her, hardly anyone still treated him like a child now that he was a Captain.

Bastard.

Kaida landed on the next roof and paused, glancing around. She was getting closer to the Repentance Cell, which was a huge white tower atop a hill toward the center of the seireitei. It was still a good ways away, though. She was tempted to start flash-stepping so she could get there at least within the next twenty minutes.

But then she saw a cat.

A for real. Solid. Actual. Kitty.

Kaida stared at the black feline that was on the edge of the roof she was on, peering down into the street. She had never seen cats in the Soul Society before. Only in the human world she had seen the adorable creatures. She thought she preferred the large dogs to them, but still! They were fuzzy!

But why the hell was one in the seireitei?

The cat stiffened, glancing back, seeming to have sensed it was being stared at. The vivid yellow eyes widened in horror at the sight of her.

"Hi kitty!" Kaida beamed at it.

The cat took a step back.

"Wait! Don't go!" Kaida begged, crouching down and holding out her hand, "C'mere kitty kitty!" she sang.

The cat didn't take the bait. In an instant, the cat was suddenly on the next roof, and running fast.

That cat.

Just flash-stepped.

"THAT'S NO KITTY!" Kaida wailed and took chase.

This cat was fast. Kaida found herself struggling to keep up- her! Kaida Abarai! She knew for certain this cat was no ordinary kitty if it could outpace the likes of her. Kaida pushed herself to go faster. Who was this? It had to be a Soul Reaper, or it had Soul Reaper training, since it could flash-step, and so fast too!

"Enough games," Kaida growled, whipping out her Zanpakuto, "Soar, Hotaru!"

She extended her blade, pointing it right at the fleeing cat, and it began to glow a brilliant golden orange, then burst into segments, each one a brilliant glowing orb, like fireflies. There were dozens of them, and they stood in a uniform line with one another like a great whip. A hair-thin beam of light was connecting them together and to the hilt of her blade which was glowing brilliantly in an orange-red aura. Kaida could feel the heat in her palm, and knew that to anyone but her, it would have melted the flesh of their palm just to hold on to Hotaru.

Kaida reared back her arm and arced Hotaru forward. Even when it appeared that the whip was too short to reach the still running cat, the line of light connecting them lengthened. Kaida smirked with satisfaction when it collided with the side of the feline and sent it over the rooftop and into the street below, out of sight.

"Gotcha!" she said, as Hotaru's 'fireflies' reformed in a perfectly straight line. She jumped forward to the roof that the cat had fallen off of and then down into the street.

But there was no cat in the street.

There was a woman.

A naked woman.

One Kaida recognized.

"Damn," the dark-skinned female hissed, propping herself on her elbows, her yellow eyes narrowed in annoyance, "I got sloppy. I didn't expect you to actually release your Zanpakuto. You've gotten more reckless than I remember, Kaida."

"Yoriuichi?!" Kaida cried, her Zanpakuto resealing, turning back into a normal katana with the golden bindings on the hilt.

"Sh!" Yoriuichi snapped at her, getting to her feet. Kaida adverted her eyes when she did so, but still saw the large burn on the woman's side.

"What are you doing here? And why were you a cat?!" snapped Kaida.

Yoriuichi laughed, "I forgot how young you are. So naïve. Here…"

When Kaida looked back, a little black cat stood where Yoriuichi had been. When it spoke, its voice sounded deep and masculine.

"I think we both know why I'm here, Kaida."

Kaida looked at the cat with a frown, "You're helping the Ryoka? But why?"

"Don't you think it's strange that Rukia is getting such a harsh punishment for what she did?" asked Yoriuichi.

"How do you know about- oh, right well this is _you_ we're talking about…" Kaida sheathed her blade across her back again and crossed her arms.

"Kisuke told me how you were there the night it happened," Yoriuichi continued.

Kaida glanced away, "Yeah, I was. He was also the one who told me to come back to the Soul Society."

"For good reason. I think he knew this time was going to come," said Yoriuichi, "I can't tell you everything, Kaida, but I will tell you that it would be for the greater good if you helped us."

"Helped you what, exactly?" asked Kaida, tilting her head to the side.

"Save Rukia."

Kaida blinked, "That's what you're here for? You do realize that you'd have to go through thirteen Captains, right? What did you expect to do? Waltz in here sneak her out and leave?"

"…"

"Really?" Kaida laughed, "For the old lead of the stealth force I would think you would put more planning into this!"

"There is planning," Yoriuichi snapped, "I just can't tell you everything."

"Why not?"

"Because you might mess it up."

Kaida pouted.

"Don't get me wrong," Yoriuichi purred, "No one is going to put you down on your fighting skills, Kaida. After all, it's difficult enough to hit the likes of me, even with a released Zanpakuto. However, that being said, you aren't exactly excelling in…"

Kaida waited with a perked brow when Yoriuichi seemed to be looking for the best word, wondering how offended she was going to be.

"Stealth," Yoriuichi concluded.

Huh. Okay, that wasn't too insulting. Kaida hated skulking around. She rushed in head on. Relying on surprise attacks was for the weak or insecure.

"And stealth is exactly what this situation calls for, it's very delicate," said Yoriuichi, "Or at least, my part is. So if I have you knowing every part of the plan, I would expect no less of you to just rush in to the root of it and attempt to end it there."

"Isn't that a good idea?" asked Kaida, "Why beat around the bush?"

"Because if we try to attack the root now, we will fail," said Yoriuichi sternly, "We have to bide our time. For now, all you need to know is that we're trying to save Rukia."

Kaida laughed, "Yoriuichi, I'm good, but I'm not good enough to cut past thirteen Captains at once. And I refuse to fight against Kenpachi. He's my Captain, and as much as I hate what's happening to Rukia, my loyalty is with him."

"So you'd let her die?" asked Yoriuichi, gazing at her steadily.

"Don't say it like that," said Kaida nervously, "It's not my choice. It's the law."

"Funny, you never really struck me as the 'following rules' type of girl," said Yoriuichi, tilting her head and flicking an ear.

Kaida crossed her arms, "Listen, I don't know what's going on," she said irritably, "There is a ton of weird stuff coming up, and Rukia's execution is just one of them."

There was sudden yelling coming from down the street. Kaida turned, stiffening. What would happen if she was caught speaking casually to one of the Ryoka? About joining them no less?

When she looked back at Yoriuichi, she saw the cat was up on the roof, looking down at her.

"Just think about what I said, Kaida," she said in that odd manly voice, "There is so much more at stake than just Rukia's life."

And then like a whisper, the feline was gone.

Kaida stood there staring at the spot the cat vanished when a group of her squad came around the corner.

"There! There she is! Kaida! Kaida!" the one in the front was yelling.

Kaida looked back at them, "T'sup?" she asked.

"It's Ikkaku. He got pretty torn up by one of the Ryoka. We found Yumichika too, he wasn't as bad off, but…"

Kaida stared, "Ryoka got the best of Ikkaku and Yumichika?" she asked.

The patrol all nodded.

"Wow, they really have gotten rusty," said Kaida, crossing her arms.

"A lot of our squad members have been cut through too, and we got reports that the Ryoka grabbed one of squad four."

"What, like a hostage?" Kaida perked a brow.

"Well, they tried. Didn't work too well. I mean, who cares about some weakling from squad four?" scoffed the patrol lead, "But they took him with them."

"Who was it?" Kaida asked.

"How should I know?" scoffed the patrol lead.

Another behind him piped up, "Wait, I think I heard someone say his name was… Hanataro? He's the sixth seat in the squad."

Hanataro, huh? Kaida had been talking to him this morning. If Yoriuichi and her Ryoka's mission was so noble where did they get off grabbing defenseless members of squad four as hostages? Kaida grit her teeth.

"Get back to patrolling for them," she instructed, "I'm going to try and find the Captain and tell him what's happened."

"He's already with Ikkaku."

"What?!"

Kaida flash-stepped away, rushing back toward the squad four barracks.

She had to speak to Kenpachi. Kaida felt like her life was spinning. It used to be so simple. She always fought with purpose, knowing what she was fighting for, what she was protecting. Now, she didn't know what she was supposed to defend. Rukia? The seireitei? And who was she supposed to fight? The Ryoka? Or the laws threatening Rukia's life?

And what about Gin? What about Toshiro?

"Stupid carrot-top!" Kaida snarled, "You've gone and ruined everything!"


	5. Confessions

Kaida reached the barracks too late. Kenpachi was gone. She stepped into the room only to see Ikkaku on a bed, glaring at the ceiling. It had been a long time since she saw him look so somber. She stepped forward, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Soooo…. Kinda pulled an epic fail, huh?"

"Shut up, Abarai."

Kaida almost snickered, but she held back for Ikkaku's sake, "So that carrot-top do this to you?"

"His name was Ichigo Kurosaki," said Ikkaku, "He didn't seem like much at first. But as he fought… it was like this new determination set in his eyes. It's like he has this reserve of spiritual energy inside him. I didn't stand a chance. He told me he's the strongest of their group. So I warned him that the Captain would be looking for him to challenge him to a fight."

"And you told Kenpachi about the fight…"

"Yeah."

Kaida nodded, leaning against the wall, "I wasn't expecting Ryoka to be such an issue."

"Believe me, neither was I," Ikkaku said.

"And Yumichika?"

Ikkaku chuckled a bit, "Now believe me, how Yumichika lost to the other Ryoka is beyond me, in fact it's downright hilarious. Seems like the guy had a bunch of explosives with him, and just kept running while using those as distractions."

"Ha, seems like maybe you guys should have let me hang around," Kaida smirked.

"Pfft. Alright, maybe you could have taken on Kurosaki."

Kaida crossed her arms, "Of course I could have!"

"I was meaning to ask you," said Ikkaku, glancing at her, "What he said when we first found him… about him recognizing you…"

Kaida felt a panic swell in her and she grinned widely to hide it, "What? He was probably just trying to confuse us, Ikkaku. You should know better than to fall for Ryoka tricks."

Ikkaku just stared at her with a hard look in his eyes.

Kaida sighed and hung her head, like a puppy that got caught chewing on the rug, "Not buyin' it, huh?"

"Not for a second."

Kaida brought up her hands, lacing them behind her head, "Well it's kind of a long story."

"I've got time, seeing as I won't be fighting for a while," said Ikkaku dryly.

"Ikkaku. You have to promise not to tell anyone," Kaida looked at him with one of her rare serious gazes.

Ikkaku met her eyes, "It kind of depends on what happened, Kaida. You know there are some things I would have to report to Captain Zaraki."

"This isn't… it's not endangering anyone," said Kaida carefully, "I just… may have.. fibbed. A tid-bit."

"Fibbed?"

"It's another word for lied."

"I know what it means!"

Kaida giggled, but then got serious again, "Well, I suppose I'll tell you, I mean, you already know that the Ryoka knows me, so there's not much I can do about that, is there?" she sighed and leaned against the wall, quickly making sure they were the only two in the room.

"So you know I was sent with Rukia to the world of the living."

"Yeah. Captain Zaraki didn't want you to go because he said it was going to be too easy for you. And then Rukia sent you back just because of that," said Ikkaku.

Kaida grinned sheepishly, "Weeeeellllll, Rukia did send me back.. buuuuutt…. That wasn't why."

She recounted the tale of how there were two Hollows in the area, forcing them to split up and how when she returned, Rukia was devastatingly wounded and Ichigo had her powers and killed the second Hollow. Ikkaku's gaze got wider and wider as the tale went on. She left out the part about Kisuke, not sure bringing up an exiled ex-Captain would help her cause. Kaida realized it actually felt nice to let it off her chest. It felt like lifting a burden off her shoulders. She would have never thought Ikkaku would be the first one she would tell. But all the same. Despite their bickering, the two of them had been through a lot together in squad eleven, them and Yumichika. Back when Renji was still in squad eleven before he was promoted to lieutenant, the four of them had gone on many difficult missions together. Kaida never told them how she held back sometimes.

"So, you knew," said Ikkaku, "All this time, you knew about it."

Kaida shrugged.

Ikkaku sighed, "Well… I guess it doesn't matter if no one knows about it now that Rukia is in custody. But what about these Ryoka? You let Kurosaki go on purpose earlier, didn't you?"

Kaida looked away, "Look, the punk hurt my brother, I have no fuzzy feelings toward him, but… if he died… Rukia would be devastated."

"Rukia is on the door of her execution, do you really think it matters?" Ikkaku asked.

"It does matter!" said Kaida, looking at him again, "Rukia gave everything to keep Ichigo safe. And he's here throwing away her sacrifice," she grit her teeth, "I'm not siding with the Ryoka, Ikkaku, I'm no traitor, but if there's a way to get his idiot butt out of here safely for Rukia's sake, I'll take it."

"They're Ryoka!" Ikkaku snapped, "You know there's no way that anyone is going to just let them waltz out of here."

Kaida narrowed her eyes, "Then I guess I'll just have to take the next best thing."

"And that is?"

"Make sure Rukia never knows that they were here."

Ikkaku looked her over thoughtfully, "You know, I'm not used to seeing you so serious. It's weird. Kind of makes you seem older."

"Does it?!" Kaida beamed, standing up straighter with her head held high.

"Annnnd there it goes," Ikkaku sighed.

Kaida pouted, "Aw. You're no fun, Ikkaku."

Ikkaku waved her off, "Look, I won't tell anyone about you being there when Rukia lost her powers. Except maybe Yumichika if he asks. He heard what Kurosaki said too."

"Yeah, you can tell him if he asks," said Kaida, crossing her arms, "But whatever you do, you CAN NOT tell Renji. He'd skin me alive if he knew I was there and didn't tell him anything."

Ikkaku offered her a slight knowing smirk, "Yeah. Alright. I won't tell him."

"Thanks, Ikkaku," Kaida beamed at him, "I'll owe you one once this is all over."

"I'll keep that in mind, Firefly."

Kaida gave him a thumbs up, "Get better. I guess I'm going to have to go join the hunt," she turned, "Kind of hope someone else finds them before I do…"

With that she left the room, feeling both relieved and more stressed than when she entered.

*.*.*

Kaida sprinted across the rooftops, her eyes narrowed. She had made up her mind. The best course of action here for both her loyalty to the seireitei and to Rukia was to eliminate the Ryoka before she could know that they were ever here in the first place. She hoped that no one had told her about it. It seemed unlikely, but the possibility was there.

It had been one day since she had spoken to Ikkaku in the infirmary. True to his word, he had not informed anyone about Kaida's secret. The sun was getting close to setting. No one had managed to capture any of the Ryoka yet, but it was confirmed that there were at least six of them. Kaida knew about Ichigo, Yoriuichi, and that big guy, Ganju. She wondered who the other three could possibly be. Kaida knew that at this point, Captains were allowed to unleash their Zanpakuto in order to bring down the Ryoka. That was a pretty serious allowance, since Captains' Zanpakuto powers were usually off the chart considering their Bankai. It seemed obvious that these Ryoka were causing quite the problem and Old Man Yamamoto wanted them gone.

Kaida wondered if she should mention that Yoriuichi was one of them. But she had a feeling admitting that would raise questions as to why she let Yoriuichi get away when they had spoken. Truth be told, Kaida wasn't really sure.

"Gonna fiiiiind me sooommme Ryooookaaaa!" Kaida sang as she rolled across a roof and jumped off it and into the street.

And landed right on top of Toshiro Hitsugaya.

"GAH! Abarai! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Toshiro wailed when they stopped tumbling.

Kaida grunted as she detangled herself from him, "What am I doing? Hunting Ryoka, didn't you hear my song? I was singing it just in case an occasion such as this occurred so I wouldn't have to explain myself. And you ruined it. Typical Toshiro."

"It's Captain Hitsugaya!" Toshiro snapped, getting to his feet and brushing himself off.

"What does it matter?" Kaida waved him off then beamed, spotting his company, "Oh hiya, Rangiko!"

Rangiko Matsumoto was the Lieutenant of squad ten. Despite her being Toshiro's second in command, Kaida got along with her pretty well. She was tall and had long flowing ginger orange hair, brilliant blue eyes, and quite the bust that was exposed by her open kimono. She had a pink scarf laced around her arms. She grinned back at Kaida.

"Hey, Kaida, having any luck?" she asked.

Kaida pouted, "No. These Ryoka sure know how to hide, that's for sure."

"We haven't heard anything either," said Rangiko, frowning, "They sure made a loud enough entrance, and now they're just skulking in the shadows."

"Where you actually out patrolling or just taking a quick walk between stacks of paper work?" Kaida asked, casting a smirk at Toshiro.

"Tch. Leave it to childish minds to only think of one thing," Toshiro scoffed.

"Exactly! You should think about more than just your paper work, Toshiro."

"… I really hate you sometimes."

Kaida laughed.

"Where's Captain Zaraki?" asked Toshiro, "Are you at least following his orders?"

"Uh huh!" Kaida piped cheerfully, "He told me to test out the Ryoka that beat Ikkaku if I find him first. He and Yachiru are looking too. Buuuutt with Yachiru giving directions… I dunno if they'll find him. Like ever."

Toshiro rubbed his brow, "So what, you're just aimlessly running around the seireitei hoping you'll bump into the Ryoka?"

"Yup!"

"That seems like a terrible plan," said Toshiro dryly.

"Well I have waaaayyy more of a chance running into them than you, little Captain," Kaida winked at him, "Because I'm actually awesome. Oh, and doing real work. But the awesome part is definitely a big piece of it."

Rangiko covered her mouth to hide the fact she was trying not to laugh at the look on Toshiro's face. His narrowed turquoise eyes shot back at his lieutenant dangerously.

"Something funny, Rangiko?"

"Not at all, sir."

"That's what I thought."

Toshiro looked back at Kaida, "Listen, if you're not too busy getting nowhere on your supposed hunt for the Ryoka, I have a job for you."

Kaida perked a brow, "And what makes you think I would follow orders from you?"

Toshiro narrowed his eyes, "I'm a Captain, and you're a third seat. Whether you like it or not, I outrank you. So even if you're not a part of my squad, my orders are still orders unless they contradict your orders from your own Captain."

Kaida laced her hands behind her head, "How 'bout you tell me what you want and then I'll decide."

Toshiro rolled his eyes, but complied, "If, during your running about, you happen to come across either Captain Ichimaru or Captain Aizen, I want you to tail them, without them noticing."

Kaida blinked.

"You… want me to follow around two Captains? Like spy on them? Isn't that breaking the rules somehow somewhere? I get it!" she cried, pointing accusingly at Toshiro in a wild dramatic fashion, "You're trying to get me into trouble!"

Toshiro scoffed, "Please, you don't need my assistance in getting into trouble, Abarai. You constantly disrespecting the Captains and Lieutenants by not calling them by their official titles is a fine example. In fact, with that already on your plate, even if you get caught, they won't be suspicious since they'll most likely chalk it up to your stupid childish behavior again."

Kaida stuck her tongue out at Toshiro.

"My point proven," he sighed.

"Well then why am I tailing them?" asked Kaida, crossing her arms.

"You should know why," snapped Toshiro, "I want to know more about what's going on. Something's up. If you can find any suspicious activity from either of them, I want you to report to me immediately. You can keep an eye out for the Ryoka while you're at it. So that way, you're still following Captain Zaraki's orders."

Kaida sighed, "Alright I guess…" she said.

"I still don't see why you won't just send me, Captain," said Rangiko.

"Hang on!" Kaida cried, "How come Rangiko knows about the whole Gin Aizen thing? You told me to keep my mouth shut!"

"And that means I can't tell my second in command?" Toshiro perked a brow.

"…yes."

Toshiro smacked his palm to his face, bowing his head.

Rangiko chuckled a bit, "If it's any consolation, Kaida, he only just told me a few moments ago. But he still won't let me take any action myself."

"Because like I said, if Kaida's caught, no one would be suspicious. She's exceptionally good at talking her way out of trouble," Toshiro said.

Kaida looked at him with wide eyes, "Was that a compliment?! Aw, Toshiro!" she ruffled his hair.

Toshiro smacked her hand away, "Damn it, Kaida, will you stop that?!"

"Not so long as it keeps letting me win," said Kaida triumphantly, and turned, flash-stepping away, "Later, little Captain! Bye, Rangiko!"

*.*.*

Kaida found herself in the squad three territory. As she leapt from roof to roof, she kept an eye on the streets below her for both Ryoka and Gin. She wasn't sure why she was going along with Toshiro's orders, but a part of her was curious. That conversation they had overheard was a bit odd, to say the least. But again, if something was up, if Gin was up to something, why didn't Aizen tell anyone if he knew about it?

It didn't seem to be making any sense.

Was Aizen waiting to get proof to better back his claim? Whatever that claim was? Aizen was a smart guy, Kaida knew. So he wouldn't rush into something head on. He planned things out. When Kaida had no luck spotting Ryoka or Gin, she started heading for squad five territory. However, her journey was interrupted by a spark of spirit energy. It was far off, in fact, she was certain it was on the other side of the seireitei. But she definitely felt it. And she recognized it too.

There were two, she could sense that, and one of them…

One of them was her big brother, Renji.

He was battling. And battling hard.

"Renji…" Kaida breathed, freezing in place.

Not everyone was at good at sensing spiritual pressure as Kaida. It was one of her perks, like her ability to so easily communicate and fight with Hotaru. But surely the Captains would feel this. Maybe not who was involved, but definitely that there was a fight going on.

Just as Kaida thought about this, she saw some figures walk out into the street beneath her. She recognized them. Both were Lieutenants, incidentally, the Lieutenant of squad three, Izuru Kira, and the Lieutenant of squad five, Momo Hinamori.

"Izuru, there you are," Momo said, and held out something to him, "Look, it's Renji's Lieutenant badge…"

Momo was a pretty younger girl with her brown hair up in a bun and her wide innocent looking brown eyes giving her a very child-like face. She was always very sweet and sometimes a bit nervous. Kaida knew that she used to live in the same household as Toshiro before either of them became Soul Reapers. In a weird way, she was like his older sister.

"But why would he leave it?" Izuru asked.

Izuru had platinum blond hair that hung down over one of his eyes. He was tall and lean, and often was just as nervous as Momo.

"I don't know, but I think I feel some sort of spiritual pressure in the distance- you don't think…" Momo began.

"No, he wouldn't be that reckless to go after the Ryoka on his own…" said Izuru, though he sounded as if he only half believed his own words.

Kaida shook her head. Why hadn't she been keeping closer tabs on Renji? She hadn't seen him since these Ryoka showed up. Hell, he had fought Ichigo back in the world of the living, and he felt like it was all the carrot-top's fault that Rukia was where she was now. So yeah, Kaida knew her brother. He would definitely go out on his own to try and kill Ichigo for keeps this time.

"I'll gather some of my men and go see what's happening," said Izuru, "You better find Captain Aizen or one of the other Captains to inform them."

"Okay," said Momo uncertainly, "But… I mean, it is Renji. He's not going to lose to a Ryoka. He can't."

"Are you two gonna stand around talkin' all day or are you gonna get you butts movin'?!" Kaida called down, making them both startle so badly they nearly fell over.

"Kaida!" Momo gasped, "I didn't even see you up there!"

Kaida wanted to beam and say something funny, but she could feel her brother's spiritual pressure dropping.

"That's definitely Renji fighting," she said, "I'm going ahead. I think it's toward the center of the seireitei."

"I'll gather a patrol right away," said Izuru.

Kaida nodded and flash-stepped away, rushing toward where she could feel the fight coming from.

It was strange. Kaida had never really known how protective she was over Renji until that moment. He had always been able to take care of himself, and whenever he had life-threatening situations, she wasn't present at the time they happened, and would just see him when he returned with wounds. But he was never that bad off, and his wounds never that severe.

However, now his spiritual pressure nearly dropped to zero.

Kaida felt a panic well up inside her. Nothing mattered, no Gin or Aizen or Toshiro and his stupid orders, not the Ryoka, not even Rukia or her up coming execution.

All that Kaida could think about was her brother and his fading life.

The battleground was a ruin, the once pristine courtyard in tatters with scars in the concrete and craters scattered around like it had rained boulders. It appeared completely deserted at first. But then Kaida spotted alone figure laying at the end of a trail of blood.

"RENJI!" Kaida screamed, rushing to his side and collapsing on her knees, grabbing him by the shoulders and flipping him over onto his back.

Renji's hair was out of its spiky bun, laying in long waves around his bloodied face. Kaida clutched the front of her brother's kimono, shaking him.

"Renji! Wake up!" she begged, then gasped when she felt moisture soak her hands. Releasing his robes she looked at her palms to see them stained red with blood. Kaida let out a wail and grabbed Renji's shoulders again, "Please!" she cried, her voice cracking, "Renji, you can't die… Renji!"

"Oh no…"

Izuru had arrived with his men. Kaida barely even registered them, however. She was gazing desperately at her brother, a new kind of pain lacing her heart.

"Renji!" she choked, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

"One of you go get squad four right away!" Izuru ordered, "The rest of you, search the area! The Ryoka have to be close by!"

The men with him muttered agreements and rushed off to work. Izuru himself appeared at Kaida's shoulder.

"It's okay, he's going to be fine once squad four gets here," he assured.

Kaida wasn't stupid. She knew how close Renji was to death. She wiped her eyes on the ragged sleeves of her kimono, and took her scarf off, wrapping it around Renji's wounded arm. She was glad the fabric was already red. She didn't want to know how badly he was truly bleeding. She tightened it in hopes to stem the blood flow.

"I can't believe a Ryoka could do this is a Lieutenant," said Izuru, "Let alone Renji."

Kaida stood shakily. She knew there was nothing more she could do. She was useless at Kido, and shaking Renji wasn't waking him up, not to mention most likely making his wounds worse.

"Kaida?" Izuru looked up at her.

Kaida clenched her fists, "It was the same one who defeated Ikkaku," she breathed, "He did this. He did this to my brother."

She guessed the deadly hushed tone of her voice caught Izuru off guard. And who could blame him? The normally playful, teasing and laughing little girl was now glaring down with murderous intent, not a trace of a smile or even a smirk upon her lips, which were in full view now without her scarf.

"Kaida, you can't be thinking about running off to find him on your own?" Izuru asked, "You can't! Look at what's happened to your brother. This is obviously no normal Ryoka."

Kaida shook her head, "No, I'm not going to run off, I don't even know where he went," she said, "But one thing is for certain."

Izuru looked at her nervously. He was probably the first one to ever see Kaida so angry. So serious. Kaida wasn't looking back at him though. She was staring out across the buildings, her panic now turning into a solid blazing rage.

Her voice was soft when she uttered the words into the air as the sun began to set in a blood red horizon, "When I do find him, I am going to kill him."


	6. First Blood

Kaida sat cross-legged beside her brother where he had been laid in one of the buildings. He had not woken, and Kaida could feel that though his spiritual energy was stable, it still had not strengthened from how weak it was.

"I still can't believe it…" Izuru muttered.

He was standing by the door, looking down at Renji with mourn. Kaida remembered he and Momo had gone through the Academy with Renji. They had been teamed together several times throughout their courses. The three of them were actually quite close, despite how official they seemed together up front. Kaida was also fairly certain Izuru had a crush on Momo.

"Is there any word from squad four?" Momo was sitting on Renji's other side. They had laid him on a mat and pulled a sheet over him.

Izuru shook his head, "Not yet. But we're pretty far from their barracks."

Kaida stared down at her brother with hard eyes. Her scarf was still tied around his arm. She gently reached out and began to do up his hair again in the spiky fashion he was so fond of. It didn't look right to her laying out like that, just another sign of how beaten he was. She wanted her Renji back.

Momo and Izuru watched her work silently. When she finished, she gently wiped away some of the blood from Renji's face.

"There," she murmured, "A bit better. You're going to be fine, Renji. I promise."

The door slid open, making the three of them look up. Kaida blinked in surprise.

"Byakuya?" she asked.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed at her dangerously, "I'm telling you for the last time, it's Captain Kuchiki."

"Have you brought squad four?" was all Kaida responded with, not caring about his stupid obsession with titles.

"I came to instruct the three of you to place Lieutenant Abarai in a holding cell," said Byakuya dryly, his voice as emotionless as ever, "He broke orders by facing that Ryoka alone, and worse of all losing in disgrace. He will be offered no relief for his failure."

Kaida felt her teeth grit and her eyes widen, "Are you serious?" she breathed.

"Captain," Momo stood, facing him, "Renji nearly died defending against that Ryoka and you're not going to give him any aid? You're his Captain! How can you stand by while you're Lieutenant is in this condition?!"

"Momo!" Izuru snapped, then looked at Byakuya, "I'm sorry sir, she didn't mean it. We will bring Renji to a cell as soon as possible."

Momo looked at Izuru then to Byakuya. She bowed her head, "Y-yes, I'm sorry, Captain. I let my emotions get the better of me."

"What?!" Kaida jumped to her feet, "Renji is dying. He needs medical attention!"

"He is stable, he will not die," said Byakuya coldly, "I will decide what his punishment will be later. Do not interfere, Abarai. You're on a thin enough line as it is due to your constant disrespect for the authority of the seireitei. Captain Zaraki cannot protect you forever."

He turned and left at that. Kaida found herself shaking in rage.

"H-how dare he…" she hissed.

"Kaida, calm down," Izuru said, coming to her side, "You know you can't defy a Captain like that. Not even you could get away with it."

"He's my brother!" Kaida shouted.

"My, my…"

Kaida turned to see Gin stalking into the room, creeper smile on and those eyes closed as usual. His hands were clasped behind his back.

"Quite the temper you have there, Firefly," he drawled, "But you needn't worry. I can insure that Lieutenant Abarai gets treatment for his wounds. I'll personally contact squad four to see to it."

Kaida looked him over with narrowed eyes. She wasn't sure if she should trust this. What was his motive? He had no soft feelings for her or her brother. What was he trying to do? Gain her trust? Did he know she overheard Aizen's accusation the other day?

"I must say it's a bit odd to see you without your scarf," Gin continued, "How touching, wrapping it around your brother's wound. I don't think I've ever seen this much of your face before."

Kaida looked away. She didn't know why he gave her the creeps so much. Yeah, he was a Captain, but Kaida wasn't scared of him. At least, not his combat abilities. It was something else about him…

"Come on, Izuru," Gin said, "We will go collect squad four, shall we?" his creeper smile lengthened.

"Yes, sir," said Izuru, and the two of them left the room, sliding the door shut behind them.

Kaida stared after them, trying to make sense of her thoughts.

"Kaida?" Momo asked uncertainly.

"I'm okay," Kaida said, taking a breath and then smiling lightly, "Renji is going to get help. That's all that matters."

"I don't think I've ever seen you so upset, Kaida, are you sure you're alright?" Momo asked.

"Yeah," Kaida beamed, feeling a bit of her old self coming back, "I mean, Renji's tough. He'll pull through. Tch! He's always trying to protect me when he's the one that got beat up! I'll never let him forget it," she smirked back at her brother, but then nearly jumped a mile when she saw there was a third person in the room.

"Wow, Lieutenant Abarai really did get messed up…"

"TOSHIRO!" Kaida yelled, "Stop DOING that! How'd you even get in here?!"

"Why do you always sneak up on people like that, little Shiro?" Momo sighed.

Kaida blinked at the look of horror that crossed Toshiro's face at the nickname. She slowly looked back at Momo, then at Toshiro, her eyes as big as saucers.

Oh sweet ammunition!

"Momo!" Toshiro hissed, his cheeks going red, "I told you not to call me that!"

Kaida slowly began to get a wolfish grin.

"No, Abarai, don't even think about it," Toshiro snapped, pointing at her threateningly.

Kaida's grin widened.

"Abarai! I'm warning you!"

"What's wrong?" Kaida said in mock innocence, "… Little Shiro?"

"Damn it…"

Kaida fell over laughing.

Momo grinned sheepishly as Kaida rolled around the floor, "Sorry, Li- er- Captain Hitsugaya. It just slipped out."

Toshiro shook his head, then kicked Kaida making her yelp and stop rolling, clutching her middle and sitting up.

"HEY! That hurt!" she wailed.

"Will you stop being a child and get off the floor?" snapped Toshiro.

"I'm sorry, little Shiro," Kaida smirked wickedly.

"Kaida!"

"I win!"

Toshiro pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Listen," he said, looking at Momo, "I came to warn you to keep an eye on squad three."

Momo blinked, "What? What for?"

Toshiro crossed his arms, "Just watch out for them, all of them. Especially Gin Ichimaru. And even more so if Captain Aizen should go out alone."

"Toshiro what are you talking about?" Momo asked in a hushed tone, "What's going on?"

"Just be careful, okay?" Toshiro said, and swept from the room.

Kaida got to her feet, looking after the little Captain with a frown. He didn't want Momo to know the details they did, but still to make her aware, just in case. It was kind of adorable, like a kid brother looking out for his big sis.

"Kaida, do you know what that was about?" Momo asked, eyes wide.

"Not really," Kaida lied, grinning at her, "Thanks for the great nickname for him though."

Momo grinned a bit sheepish again, "It's what I called him when he was little, it always kind of stuck…"

"Do you know why Toshiro's is such a sour sport? I mean, you know him best, right?" Kaida asked.

Momo shook her head, "I wouldn't say I know him best, Kaida. He's always been very serious and distant. There's not much else I can tell you. Why do you want to know?"

"I think there's a saying in the world of the living… 'Know thy enemy'."

"Toshiro's your enemy?" Momo blinked.

Kaida smirked wickedly, "He's always been my rival, Momo, you know that. The more ammunition I get, the better. Because half the battle is in the mind."

"Maybe you should try actually being his friend," Momo suggested, "The two of you are a lot alike."

"What?!" Kaida wailed, insulted, "I'm nothing like that boring loser!"

"You both had incredible spiritual pressure, even when you were very small, and both got through the Academy in a year. You both have amazing combat prowess and rocketed through the ranks in the court guard squads. Can you imagine how strong the two of you would be as a team?"

Kaida blinked at her, "No way! Captain Popsicle thinks too much when he fights, it's not…" she pondered for a proper word, "It's not raw enough," she concluded, "It's boring! Everything he does is too thought out and logical, he never has fun! We would just be yelling at each other the entire time instead of getting anything done. Plus he'd get in my way."

Momo frowned at her, "I don't know, I think the two of you would complement each other," she grinned, "Like fire and ice. Two extremes fighting side by side could be quite the force to reckon with."

"Momo, you're lucky I like you so much, otherwise I'd smack you right now," Kaida beamed at her.

Momo laughed, "It's just sad to see the two of you always fight."

"Well, you can't really expect fire to get along with ice?" Kaida asked.

"I think someday you'll see past it," said Momo, "It's sort of like younger children who pick on each other to show how much they care."

Kaida scoffed, "Please! The only thing I care about is showing the little Captain that I've always been the better one," she smirked confidently.

Momo just smiled at her, "You're young. I think one day you'll understand."

"Who are you to call me young?!" Kaida pouted at her, "You're not that much older than me! And you still look like a twerp!"

"Ah! That's not fair, Kaida! I'm a head taller than you!"

"So?! You got a baby face!"

"So do you!"

"That's because I'm still a ki-" Kaida cut off mid-sentence, realizing what she just walked into.

"Told you," Momo laughed.

"Shuttup…"

Squad four showed up at that point to take care of Renji. Kaida told them to leave the scarf around his arm when they were done so he would know she was there. When they placed him on a stretcher to take him away, Kaida sighed heavily, remembering her mission to find Ichigo. She wouldn't let him get away with what he did to her brother.

"I'm going to go find Captain Aizen…" said Momo softly, "This day has just been so exhausting. And I want to ask him if he knows anything about what Toshiro said about squad three."

Kaida nodded at her, "And as much as I want to go hunt down that bastard Ryoka that did this to Renji, I think sleep is going to have to come first," she shook her head, "I didn't get much sleep last night and I want to be at full energy when I find him," her eyes sparked.

"Kaida, be careful," Momo said, "Don't take him on alone, you saw what he did to your brother, and he's a lieutenant."

"…I can handle myself," Kaida muttered, and left the room.

She appreciated Momo's concern, but she knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself if she found Ichigo to look for backup first, even if she was worried about being beaten. No one hurt her big brother. Not even if they were special to Rukia.

But Momo's words about Toshiro interested Kaida a bit. Why was she pressing for them to be friends? Momo had been a good friend of Kaida's the past half century. They had grown close, and Momo always seemed to try and get her and Toshiro to get along.

Kaida was too tired to think too long on it. It had been a crazy day. So when she reached her quarters and fell onto her bed, she was asleep before she even hit the pillow.

And she dreamed.

It was warm. Kaida drifted through it, seeing fire lash wildly around her, the flames licking greedily at her body. But she did not burn or catch ablaze. The fire itself didn't even make the typical crackling roar that flames usually made. It was all soft and warm, and Kaida closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling. It was safe here, she thought, I'm safe. Safe from the death of Rukia, safe from her brother's beaten state, safe from the worries of the Ryoka and Ichigo, safe from the mystery of Gin and Aizen.

Safe from her infuriating rival, Toshiro Hitsugaya.

But Kaida didn't want safe.

The flames suddenly exploded into a roaring sound, deafening and wild, and Kaida felt the warmth began to burn. But she did not cry out. She did not fear the pain. Instead, a giddy smile splayed across her lips.

Then, a voice, warm and familiar, called to her.

"Be wary, Firefly, of a Captain who pretends what he is not."

And Kaida woke.

She lay there in her bed with a frown. She knew that voice. It was Hotaru. He often came to her in dreams, but he would usually show himself to her.

"Why are you being shy, Hotaru?" Kaida asked, looking over at where the Zanpakuto in question was leaning against the wall nearby.

Hotaru was actually a pretty long Zanpakuto, and slightly thicker than the average blade. He was also double edged, not usually the norm for a sealed Zanpakuto. Due to his size, Kaida had to strap him across her back rather than at her hip. She realized Toshiro had to do this too with his. Momo's words about the two of them being alike rang in Kaida's head again and she nearly winced.

Could the lieutenant be right? Were they really so alike?

Tch! No way! Kaida was way better than Captain Popsicle…

Fire melted ice, every time.

In any case, Hotaru did not answer her. Kaida sighed. She got the feeling he wanted her to figure it out on her own, just giving her a gentle warning. A Captain that was pretending to be what he is not… was Hotaru talking about Gin?

Kaida got up and realized she had fallen asleep in her kimono. She went to grab her scarf from her chair but remembered she left it tied around Renji's injured arm.

Renji…

Kaida left her room, a new resolve hitting her. Ichigo… she had to find him. He wasn't going to get away with hurting her brother like that.

The sun was up now. Kaida had actually slept in a bit later than she planned. She began to head toward the center of the area in hopes of finding Kenpachi for orders. She guessed he was still running around like a maniac looking for Ichigo.

That was when she heard the scream.

Kaida flinched and looked wildly around, "What the crap?"

It seemed like it was coming from the upper courtyard by where the lieutenants gathered for meetings. Kaida leapt her way toward it, a sinking feeling hitting her gut.

She landed in the courtyard as a few other lieutenants came rushing out to see what the fuss was about. It appeared the scream had come from Momo, who was standing frozen in the middle of the courtyard looking up, her entire body rigid and shaking, face twisted in horror.

"Momo?" Izuru called, then he followed her gaze, "Oh no…" he breathed.

Kaida turned, daring to look.

The moment her eyes found the body pinned up on the wall, a stream of thick blood streaking down from it, Momo fell to her knees, screaming in agony.

"CAPTAIN AIZEN!"

*.*.*

Eravi Tentzu looked up. He was at the head of his patrol looking through the streets for the Ryoka, making their third round in this area alone. So far there had been no sign of them, and he was beginning to get frustrated, something that was actually quite difficult to do with him.

He was a taller Soul Reaper, wearing a long hooded cloak over his kimono that was solid black on the right and solid white on the left, the coloration split perfectly even vertically down the center. It was rather ragged, tattered at the hems with several holes and rips along the back. The hood itself was pulled low over his face, casting the top of his face into shadows. However his eyes were slightly visible, their smoky white irises seeming to swim as if they were alive.

"Sir, do you think that could have been someone running into the Ryoka?" asked one of his patrol.

Eravi glanced back, "Could be. I'll go check it out, you three keep patrolling."

"But sir-" one began.

Eravi gave them a winning smile, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

He flash-stepped away, rushing toward the sound of the scream.

What he found was not what he expected.

"Captain Aizen…?" he muttered, pausing on the edge of the courtyard to take in the scene.

Captain Aizen was in dead pinned up on the wall by his own Zanpakuto, a stream of blood trailing down from his dead body. Lieutenant Hinamori was on her knees screaming his name beneath him. Lieutenant Izuru and some others were behind her, staring in horror, seemingly frozen in place. ON the outskirts like him stood Kaida Abarai, the third seat of squad eleven, staring with wide eyes up at Aizen's body. Eravi didn't think he had ever seen her without her red scarf.

He approached her, glancing at the Lieutenants.

"Kaida?"

She turned and spotted him, "Oh, Domino!"

Eravi nearly sighed at the nickname. He had earned it as soon as those stupid things had been invented in the world of the living. He nodded at her.

"Did you see what happened?" he asked.

"Nuh uh," Kaida said, looking back at Aizen, "I heard the scream and came running… and well…"

Eravi frowned, placing his hand on his chin, "This can't be good. You don't think the Ryoka did this?"

"No, actually, I don't…" Kaida said softly.

Eravi perked a brow.

However before more could be said, there was a new voice.

"My my, what's all the noise about?"

Captain Ichimaru stepped forward, that wide smile on his face. Eravi let his hand fall. Good. A Captain being here should clear things up.

Or not.

Lieutenant Hinamori looked back at Ichimaru and her face twisted in a rage that Eravi had never seen on the sweet girl's face.

"It was YOU!" she screamed, and rushed him, drawing her Zanpakuto in the same motion.

Eravi was stuck with shock. What was the girl doing?! Was she insane? Before he could move, however, Lieutenant Kira was there, stepped between Ichimaru and Hinamori, blocking her blow, an angered look on his face.

"Izuru!" Hinamori breathed, "Move aside! He's the reason Aizen is dead! Please!"

"Momo, you know I can't do that!" Kira said harshly, "He's my Captain, and I will protect him with my life, no matter what!"

Ichimaru's grin widened, and he began to stalk away. Eravi was dumbstruck. What the hell was going on?! What did he miss?!

"Izuru please!" Hinamori begged.

"I can't," said Kira, narrowing his eyes.

Hinamori jumped back, trying to dodge around Kira to get at Ichimaru, but he intercepted her. They broke out a duel, their swords clashing harshly.

"Snap!" Kaida breathed, "We can't let them do this!"

The two Lieutenants released their Zanpakuto abilities at that point.

"I'm inclined to agree with you," said Eravi.

However it turned out their intervention was not needed.

Captain Hitsugaya appeared practically out of nowhere, blocking Hinamori and Kira's attack at once by jumping between them. They both gasped and jumped back. Hitsugaya landed skillfully and glared at each of them, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Place these two under arrest," he spat.

The Lieutenants around them took hold of the two combatants without another word.

"Toshiro…" Hinamori breathed.

"Momo!" Hitsugaya snapped, looking at her sternly, "You pick now of all times to attack your comrades? Especially when your first priority should have been to get Captain Aizen down from there."

Hinamori hung her head. Hitsugaya growled, turning away, "Take them away," he ordered.

As they were dragged off, Eravi saw Hinamori shoot Ichimaru a dangerous hateful glare. He was still merely smiling as always. It gave Eravi an eerie feeling. What was going on? Ichimaru couldn't really have something to do with this could he?

"I'm sorry you had to intervene like that, Captain Hitsugaya," said Ichimaru.

Hitsugaya glanced at Ichimaru, eyes narrowed.

"You tried to kill Momo," he accused softly.

Eravi blinked. He did? When?

"What makes you say that?" Ichimaru drawled.

"I'm only going to warn you once, Gin," said Hitsugaya dangerously, "If even one drop of her blood is spilled… I will kill you."

"Well you best keep an eye on her, then," said Ichimaru with that big smile, "You wouldn't want anything to happen to her, now would you?"

"Time to bounce!" Kaida hissed, grabbing Eravi's hand and flash stepping away, dragging him with.

It was so fast and sudden, he didn't even have the chance to resist. Damn, that girl was strong. They were on a roof a few buildings away now. Kaida released him and laughed nervously, "Well I don't think they noticed us listening! That's good!"

Eravi looked at her, "Kaida, what was that about? Does Captain Hitsugaya think Captain Ichimaru had something to do with Captain Aizen's death?"

Kaida stared at him for a moment with her one visible eye wide.

"Damn you're so formal," she finally said, shaking her head in almost disbelief, "I think I would keel over if I called all of them Captain in the same sentence."

"But that's their title…"

"Pfft. Titles don't mean anything. At least not to me."

"In any case, is that what just happened?" Eravi asked.

Kaida glanced back at the courtyard in the distance. It seemed security had arrived. Ichimaru was gone, and Hitsugaya was ordering the newcomers about. They set to work on getting Aizen's body down. The young Soul Reaper shrugged with a sigh.

"It's a long story," she said, "But look. It's probably for the best you don't talk about it," she looked at him with a sorry smile, "It looks like Momo is already in danger. The stakes have been raised with Aizen being killed like that. Whoever's doing this… if it's Gin or not… They aren't playing nice. Not anymore. Seems to me that the Ryoka being here was a convenient distraction for them to get to Aizen. Think about how easy it could be to just blame it on the intruders?"

"But didn't Captain Ichimaru stop the Ryoka from getting in their first attempt at the gate?" Eravi asked, his cloak billowing in the breeze.

"He did, I saw him…" said Kaida, crossing her arms, pensive, "This just keeps getting more complicated…"

Eravi glanced at her, "I heard about your brother. How is he?"

"Haven't seen him since he was locked up," said Kaida bitterly, "But I tell you what, soon as I find the Ryoka that did it to him? There will be blood."

Eravi had to admit it was a little unnerving seeing Kaida look so angry. He was used to her laughing and somersaulting through every day with a big grin on her face.

"I had better find my patrol," said Eravi, "They'll wonder where I went."

"Right," Kaida looked at him, "Just remember what I told you, kay, Domino?"

Eravi laughed a bit, "Sure thing, Firefly. I'll wait to talk."

Wait until he found Captain Tosen to talk, that was.

*.*.*

When Eravi left, Kaida looked back at the courtyard as Aizen's body was taken away. She had a bad feeling in her gut. Hotaru's words echoed in her mind.

_"Be wary, Firefly, of a Captain who pretends what he is not."_

Had Gin really killed Aizen? But… he wasn't exactly playing it off like he wasn't suspicious. The way he was acting, he was practically begging Toshiro to suspect him. Gin being the killer almost seemed too obvious. And if it was so obvious, Hotaru wouldn't have felt the need to warn her, would he?

So then what?

Once Toshiro was the last one in the courtyard, Kaida flash-stepped down beside him. She had a pleasant surprise of him turning to walk away and yelping when he saw her, nearly falling over.

"Kaida!" he snapped.

"Oh wow I didn't even have to try to win that time…"

"What are you doing?" Toshiro demanded.

Kaida crossed her arms, looking at him carefully, "What do you think?" she asked, and nodded at the streak of blood where Aizen's body had been.

Toshiro sighed, looking back at it, "The stakes have been raised," he said softly, "If someone is willing… and capable… of killing a Captain in cold blood… this is big, Abarai."

"That part was kind of obvious, dumbass."

Toshiro shot her a glare.

"This is serious," he said, "This has gotten ten times more dangerous than it already was. Listen. I want you to go to Captain Aizen's quarters and look around. Tell me if you find anything interesting, understood?"

Kaida scowled at him, "I'm kinda getting sick of you ordering me around like I'm your subordinate, Toshiro."

"You are my subordinate. And it's Captain Hitsugaya to you."

Kaida scoffed, "There's the Captain card again! You know I could be a Captain too if I wanted."

"Ha. That's a good one," Toshiro drawled, turning away, "Kaida, you have no skill in Kido or planning or organization. You would never become a Captain."

"Pfft. That stuff isn't needed to be a Captain. Look at Kenpachi!" Kaida said sharply.

"Are you planning on challenging a Captain to a duel to the death to get the title, then?" Toshiro asked dryly.

"No."

"Well then. There's no way you'd become a Captain."

"I don't appreciate that kind of negativity little Shiro."

"… If you call me that one more time I will hurt you."

"Was that a threat?"

"It was a promise."

"Oh, like I haven't heard that one before!"

Their noses were an inch apart, both of them narrowing their eyes, fists clenched, teeth grit. In reality, their body poses were mirroring one another perfectly.

"Oh my, I'm not interrupting something am I?"

Kaida and Toshiro sprang apart, looking over to see Rangiko had returned. She was smiling slyly, looking between the two of them.

"If I didn't know any better I would have sworn I had been about to see a little kiss!" she said with a beam.

"Ugh!" Kaida and Toshiro wailed in unison, shooting disgusted glares at one another, though both were red in the face.

"Like I'd kiss that!" Toshiro spat.

"Yeah? Like you're any better! My eyes hurt just looking at your geeky face!"

"Oh shut up, no one can even see your face with your hair hiding half of it all the time and your- wait… where's you scarf?" Toshiro blinked, looking at Kaida like he was seeing her for the first time.

"… it's on Renji's arm," said Kaida, looking away.

"That's sweet," said Rangiko, smiling lightly at her, "I saw him, by the way, when I dropped off Momo. He was still unconscious, but his wounds were healed."

Kaida smiled widely, feeling her insides light up a bit, "Really?" she said, "That's great!"

Toshiro was still staring at her. Kaida looked at him, perking a brow. Her anger at him was gone for the most part at the news of her brother's recovery.

"Uh, so the look on your face is starting to creep me out a bit, Toshiro, what's up?" she asked.

"I just…" Toshiro looked away, "It's nothing. Rangiko, how was Momo?"

"She seemed very upset that she had attacked Izuru," said Rangiko, "I think she just needs time to calm down."

"Alright," Toshiro nodded thoughtfully, "I want eyes on her twenty-four seven, understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Kaida turned, beginning to walk away.

"Abarai, where are you going?" Toshiro called after her.

Kaida looked back at him, "If I recall correctly, I was given orders by some little brat of a Captain to look for clues like some kind of detective. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with Captain Popsicle. Oh, and you can tell him from me that he's a total-"

"Yeah okay, I get it," Toshiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Just go…"

Kaida beamed, "See ya soon, jerk-face!"

And she flash-stepped away, rushing toward squad five territory.

Kaida couldn't imagine what she could possibly find when she got there. Would Aizen really keep some sort of proof there of what he suspected of Gin? And if he did, why hadn't he presented it to the court guard squads before this? It would make no sense! Maybe he would keep a journal or something. Write down all he experienced about Gin and his maybe-possible-way-too-obvious treachery.

"This seems too simple," Kaida muttered to herself.

Something was going on beneath, she could feel it. Hotaru had warned her, and Hotaru was a part of her, wasn't he? Like her subconscious telling her that her gut feeling was totally right. But if it wasn't Gin, who could it be? And he HAD to be guilty of something, right? He was acting waaaay too fishy to not be.

Kaida sighed heavily as she landed outside the Captain quarters in squad five territory. She had gotten here before any other sort of security, and she guessed if anyone caught her poking around, she would say Captain jerk-face Hitsugaya had sent her since she was the only close-by available unit. It was kind of true.

The door slid open without any resistance. Kaida stepped inside and glanced around, feeling like she was intruding somehow. Being in someone's sleeping area who had just recently died… it just felt wrong. It was a simple enough quarters. Desk to her right, a couch to her left, there was another room that led to a bedroom. Kaida went to the desk first. She went through the drawers and cabinets and found nothing, ending up making more of a mess than anything else. One thing was for sure, Aizen had been very tidy and organized.

After making a thorough mess of the once neat drawers, Kaida noticed that there was a folded note laying right on top of the desk surface. Damn. It was right under her nose and she didn't even bother to glance over the desk top itself before going for the more suspicious drawers. Feeling a little stupid, she picked it up and blinked.

It had Momo's name on it.

Kaida stared at the note for a long moment, caught in an inner turmoil. She was extremely curious. But some part of opening it when it was addressed to Momo, who had been so close to Aizen, it just felt like she was kicking a kitten somehow. She just couldn't do it. Kaida decided she would bring it to Momo and let her read it herself first, and ask if there was anything suspicious in it later.

Slipping the note in the folds of her kimono, Kaida went through the rest of the living area then the bedroom. She found nothing else of use or interest. Aizen actually seemed like quite the boring guy. But, Kaida thought, she could only imagine how dull Toshiros' living quarters must be. Man! Captains get all this space to personalize and all they do is fill it with paper work. Kaida would lose her mind if she had to sleep near so much organization.

As Kaida left the area, she wondered if she should tell Toshiro about the note before bringing it to Momo. But a part of her thought that he would most likely open it and read it first for clues. Seeing as Kaida still found this just wrong, she opted to head for the holding cells first. She could also visit Renji. Maybe he would be awake.

Making her way, Kaida let her mind wander. She had to admit, all this Ryoka nonsense and Gin business had really changed a lot. She never thought she would be following orders from Toshiro Hitsugaya of all people. In fact, as she ran, she thought back.

Back to many years ago…

Back to when she first met Toshiro Hitsugaya…

*.*.*

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

_** So to those who have read my other story, "The Bond" I was going to point out that Eravi "Domino" Tentzu is the Rilan of this story. He is another OC like Kaida, and will be playing a pretty decent size part in this story, with his own back-story and everything! I hope you guys like him, though we haven't seen much of him or his quirky personality yet. **_

_** I was also going to thank you all for the reviews, follows, and favorites I've gotten so far! This is my first Bleach fic, so it's a bit sloppy. For instance, I realized I got some of the timeline wrong. While Kaida did go with Renji and Rukia to the seireitei when she was young, she didn't actually join the Academy until later, the same year that Toshiro enrolled. My silly mind forgot the fact that Toshiro wasn't in the school until after Renji and Rukia. So I'll go back and fix that, or if you're reading this in the future and it's already fixed, just pretend I'm awesome and never messed that up. :D**_

_** The next chapter is going to be a flash-back chapter of when Kaida and Toshiro first met and them going through school together and how their rivalry really developed. I hope you guys enjoy it, and hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for all the support! **_

_**-Red**_


	7. Memories

_"I passed!"_

_ Renji blinked in complete surprise when Kaida burst through the door, spinning around like a top, her excitement practically pouring out of her. _

_ "Wh-what?" he spluttered._

_ Kaida stopped spinning, swayed for a moment, trying to get her bearings, then beamed at her big brother, "I get to go to the Academy! And I'm in the advanced class!"_

_ Renji stared at her, "No way. There must be some kind of mistake, you're too young! You'd get hurt in the advanced class!"_

_ "Will not!" Kaida said, puffing up, "I can handle anything they throw at me!"_

_ Renji scoffed, crossing his arms, "This is ridiculous. Have they changed the entry exams since I went? Pah…"_

_ "Hey! You said if I passed you'd get me a present!" said Kaida, poking him in the chest, "So cough it up!"_

_ "Well I didn't expect you to pass…" Renji mumbled._

_ "Well I did! So give it!"_

_ "You're so demanding… hang on a second…"_

_ Kaida watched as he went rummaging through his drawers for a moment. Finally, he produced a long red scarf. He looked it over for a moment, then shrugged, walking back to Kaida and winding it around her neck and part of her face._

_ "That'll do," he said approvingly._

_ "What the frax is this?"_

_ "What does 'frax' even mean?"_

_ "What is it?!"_

_ "It's a scarf, dummy."_

_ "… why a scarf?"_

_ Renji sighed heavily, "Look. I stole this scarf back in the Rukon district when you were little to wrap you in it to keep you warm. Just keep the scarf, and know that I'll always look out for you, okay?" he smiled gently down at her and ruffled her hair._

_ Kaida smiled widely and launched herself at him, hugging his torso, "Aw, thanks, Renji! It's great!" _

_ "Gah! Get off! I can't breathe!" Renji yelped, pushing her away._

_ "You can too breathe, otherwise you couldn't talk."_

_ "Just get off!"_

_ Kaida hopped down and looked up at him, still smiling, "Well, Renji, just know that I'm not a kid anymore now that I'm gonna become a Soul Reaper. I can take care of myself."_

_ "That's not going to stop me from looking out for you," said Renji, crossing his arms, "I don't care how strong you think you are, I'm still your brother. I've always protected you and I always will, got it?" he smirked at her._

_ Kaida rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Renji," she said, smirking back, "Just wait until I'm so strong that I'm protecting you!"_

*.*.*

_Kaida stepped into the class, feeling like she was going to burst out of her skin she was so excited. Despite all the odds- growing up in the Rukon District, being so young, she had passed into the Academy on her first try. And now, at last, it was her first day in training to be a real Soul Reaper like her big brother Renji and Rukia. She rearranged the scarf around her neck, fondly remembering Renji's words. The look on his face when she first told him she passed had been rather priceless. But it was nice to know that he would always be there._

_ Though, she had to admit, as she bounced into the room and found a seat, she felt incredibly small. Everyone here, even the other girls, towered over her. She felt incredibly exposed all of the sudden, but she didn't let it bother her. She was too excited, too thrilled at the fact that she was here._

_ "Oh great," she heard someone mutter nearby as she sat down, "Another pipsqueak. As if one little kid in the class wasn't enough!"_

_ Kaida pouted and looked around toward the speaker. It was a older boy, much bigger than she, and he was scowling at her._

_ "I'm not a pipsqueak!" she said, puffing up, "And I'm just as good as any of you, otherwise I wouldn't be here!"_

_ "Whatever, I think they've gotten lax on the entry exams," drawled the boy, looking away, "I mean really. How else could two punk kids get in?"_

_ Kaida looked around, wondering who the other kid was that the boy was talking about. Could there really be someone else her age here? That would be great! They could stick together. Forget all these older kids. They were a bunch of jerks._

_ "Watch it, man, that's Renji Abarai's kid sister. He's in squad eleven. I wouldn't let him catch you bad mouthing her," another boy said to the first in a hushed tone._

_ "So you mean she's from the Rukon District? Pfft. Seriously, they let anyone in here nowadays…"_

_ Kaida scowled, refusing to look back. Jerks. She would show them. Just as soon as she was given a sword…_

_ Later that day, they were taken to one of the firing ranges to learn the basics of Kido. Kaida sat among the students as their instructors demonstrated a few of the techniques. She was frowning at them, wondering what the point of the magic tricks were. Sure, they could do damage, but it took so long to do the stupid chant! In that split second of trying to get the words out, the enemy could easily rush in. Was she the only one that saw this? _

_ The students were lining up to try their first Kido shots. Kaida sat, waiting for her turn, feeling a bit nervous. She knew how strong her spiritual pressure was, but she was never really could at controlling it. It was wild, like fire. Unstable. Could she really channel it like the instructors had shown?_

_ Just as she thought of this, the next student stepped up._

_ It had to be the other little kid the boys had been talking about earlier. He was incredibly short, with spiky white hair and brilliant turquoise eyes. He had a look of utter concentration on his young face as he held out a hand toward the targets. So far, everyone ahead of him had missed or barely nicked the sides. Kaida was transfixed by the seriousness in his eyes. _

_ "Hadou 33," he said, "Sokatsoi!" _

_ The blast was incredible. Kaida nearly fell over sideways as the blast of white energy rocketed at the targets. There was an explosion, and all those around her wailed and gasped. The light faded, and Kaida looked up to the target was completely annihilated. Nothing left but smoke._

_ "Holy slick sticks…" Kaida breathed. _

_ How had that kid done that?! His spiritual pressure… it was incredible! It didn't look like there was any way that little body could possibly be holding it all it! _

_ "Very good, Toshiro," said the instructor, "You learn quickly."_

_ Toshiro bowed respectfully and went back to sit down, his face set in that serious glare, not making eye contact with anyone. He was so cold. Kaida frowned. What was with him? Didn't he realize what he just did was awesome?! Did he get excited about anything?_

_ How boring._

_ "Kaida? You're up."_

_ Kaida snapped back to, jumping to her feet._

_ "Right!" she chimed, hopping forward and beaming behind her scarf. _

_ If that kid could do it, surely she could too?_

_ She held out her hand, "Uh- okay, right! Hadou 33! Sokatsoi!"_

_ BOOM!_

_ Kaida wailed as her spirit energy exploded in her face, and around her entire body, lashing out in an almost fiery wave. Several students screamed as they were caught in the blast. Kaida was on her backside as the cloud of dust and debris faded away, her hair on end. She was also laughing. Hard._

_ "Welp! That was awesome!" she giggled._

_ "Are you a moron?"_

_ Kaida perked a brow, turning to see the white-haired boy picking himself up. There was dirt smudged all over his face. What had his name been? Toshiro! That's right._

_ "What's wrong? I think mine was more powerful than yours!" Kaida said with a big grin._

_ "It had no control! Where you even trying to concentrate? You just released your spiritual pressure in a wild blast without even thinking!" Toshiro snapped. _

_ "So?"_

_ "So that's not the point! You have to control it!"_

_ "Why?"_

_ Toshiro's eye twitched._

_ "That's what Kido is! It's controlling your spiritual pressure into precise blasts, beams, and other techniques," he said shortly._

_ Kaida laughed, "Well I think what I just did was a lot more fun!"_

_ Toshiro sighed heavily, shaking his head._

_ "That's enough, you two," the instructor intervened, "Kaida… while your energy is incredibly powerful… you need to learn to control it. A lot of what Toshiro just told you is correct. And releasing your spiritual pressure like that will just end up hurting you and your allies more than anything else. It's not practical in a fight."_

_ "None of this Kido stuff seems practical in a fight," said Kaida, looking up, "I mean, why not just duel with a sword? It takes too long to do the chant. And it sounds silly."_

_ "Tch," Toshiro stalked away at that point. _

_ Kaida frowned after him. What was his problem? Did he even know how to have fun?_

_ After a long lecture of how Kido could help in battles just as much as just a sword, class went on. Several of the classmates teased Kaida about her mishap. Apparently, Renji had done something similar when he went to school here. Must be an Abarai thing. _

_ That was the first day that Kaida met Toshiro Hitsugaya. However, they didn't talk again directly until months later. By then, both of them had advanced swiftly through their courses, leaving their other classmates behind and going on to the higher classes. Their progression had surprised everyone. _

_ Kaida had been making her way through a wooded area to have some secluded training. It had just been two weeks ago that she had learned what all those dreams meant. She remembered them vividly, the reoccurring vision of a brilliant fiery glow that beckoned her, the flickering of wild flames behind it, and that voice… A voice that was new yet familiar all at once. _

_ "Let me fly," it whispered out to her, "Let me fly, Kaida. I know you can hear my call…"_

_ Kaida had reached out toward the light, "But who are you?" she shouted out._

_ It had only been two weeks ago that he had answered her question._

_ "…Hotaru…"_

_ So training was incredibly important to Kaida now. They had only been issued actual Zanpakuto blades three weeks ago. Kaida had been having her dreams since she was small back in the Rukon district, but as soon as she had the sword, they got stronger. It had only taken her a week to learn her Zanpakuto's name. _

_ Kaida stepped into the clearing, beaming at the prospect of practicing Hotaru's released form. She couldn't quite get the hang of the whip yet. However, as she saw a familiar head of white hair come out from one of the trees, her smile slid off her face._

_ "It's you," she said, blinking._

_ Toshiro looked over at her, blinking in mild surprise, "Huh? Oh. You. What was your name again?"_

_ Kaida frowned at him. He had his own Zanpakuto with him. Because he was so small, he too had to strap his across his back like hers was. Kaida wondered what he was doing out here. _

_ "Kaida Abarai," she replied, "You're Toshiro, right?"_

_ "Toshiro Hitsugaya," he said curtly, looking her over, "What are you doing out here?"_

_ "I could ask you the same question," Kaida smiled at him from over her scarf, "This is pretty far from the school grounds. What if a little boy like you got hurt?" she laughed._

_ Toshiro narrowed his eyes, "Tough talk from a little girl who still can't control Kido."_

_ "Pfft, I don't need fancy laser beams to be awesome," Kaida said._

_ "Tch," Toshiro rolled his eyes, "Honestly. I don't know how someone like you even passed the entry exams, let alone advanced ahead in class like myself."_

_ Kaida scowled at him, "Why are you such a jerk? You're about my age, I figured I wouldn't have to get crap from you too, like from the older kids."_

_ Toshiro scoffed, crossing his arms, "Because you're pathetic. You've no control over your spiritual pressure, and you just run around wildly. Without tact or strategy, you're just going to end up killed when you face a real hollow."_

_ "That's not true!" snapped Kaida, getting angry. _

_ "Isn't it?" Toshiro said, "Please. You should just go back to the Rukon district."_

_ Kaida snapped. She reached back and in one swift move unsheathed her Zanpakuto, brandishing out at him. He blinked in surprise, but didn't make a move to unsheathe his own blade, just staring at her._

_ "What do you think you're doing?" he asked._

_ "You wanna know why I'm so far in my classes?" Kaida demanded, narrowing her eyes, "Let me show you! Soar! Hotaru!"_

_ In a brilliant glow of orange and red, Hotaru awakened, the firefly-like orbs bursting into existence, that thin beam connecting them all down to her hilt that glowed in a fiery aura. The heat from it was sending waves into the air around it. Kaida held back her hand and then lashed it out, the links extending into a whip, rushing straight for Toshiro._

_ "What?!" he cried, and unsheathed his blade at last. _

_ Kaida had to admit, he was fast. He blocked the blow and jumped back nimbly, but Kaida was launching Hotaru at him again, not skipping a beat._

_ "Rain over the frosted heavens!" Toshiro cried, "Hyorinmaru!"_

_ Kaida wasn't expecting that. The twerp could unleash his Zanpakuto too?! And what was more…_

_ It was a freaking dragon. _

_ A large serpentine dragon twisted around, made completely out of shards of ice. There was also a long chain trailing from the butt of the hilt ending in a crescent moon shaped blade that Toshiro expertly spun and launched at Kaida's left, while the ice dragon came roaring in from her right._

_ "Oh crap!" she yelped, yanking Hotaru back to her. She wasn't used to all of his abilities yet, but she had learned one trick._

_ Holding the hilt high, Hotaru's whip lengthened and spun down around her in a spiraling veil, then, the fireflies grew rapidly, swelling out to connect to one another, melding together and surrounding Kaida in a dome of fiery protection. She felt the two attacks hit, but neither penetrated her defenses. The heat was smoldering, but Kaida had a feeling that anyone else in here would be baked alive. She had a special resistance to Hotaru's heat._

_ Letting the shield fall, she saw Toshiro crouched defensively, glaring at her from across the clearing. The dragon was gone, but the entirety of his Zanpakuto's blade was covered in jagged ice, and that chain with the crescent blade was still there. _

_ "I see," Toshiro said coldly, "You can summon your Zanpakuto as well. That's interesting. I wouldn't expect it from someone like you."_

_ "And what's that supposed to mean?!" Kaida snapped back, "You think you're so much better than everyone, don't you? Well I've got news for you, popsicle, you're not!"_

_ Toshiro narrowed his eyes, "Look, I don't have time for your silly games. I came out here to train."_

_ Kaida smiled wickedly, "Well so did I, Toshiro. So how 'bout this? We can train on each other. And I'll show you just how much better I am than you."_

_ "Like that's going to happen," Toshiro scoffed, "You would just slow me down."_

_ "Is that so?" Kaida crouched, "We'll see about that! Let's see just how 'slow' I make you!"_

_ They fought for the rest of that day until the sun began to set. By the end of it, both of them were completely out of breath, covered in wounds and sweat. Neither had the energy to keep their Zanpakuto's unsealed any more. They were both laying in the grass, panting._

_ "I… I gotta admit, Toshiro…" Kaida huffed, sitting up and smirking over at him, "For a boring loser, you do have some fight in you. Sucks that I'm still way out of your league."_

_ "What are you talking about?" Toshiro hissed, "You can barely move, Kaida. If you ask me, I won."_

_ "Ha! As if!" Kaida laughed, stumbling to her feet, "Tell you what. I'll call this one a draw. But it's only because I didn't go full out on you."_

_ "What?!" Toshiro scowled at her, sitting up, "That's absurd!"_

_ "Don't get so sour, popsicle," Kaida rolled her eyes, "Honestly, you're technique could use work. It's too uniform and easy to predict. Next time, maybe I'll give you some pointers."_

_ "Don't be ridiculous, Kaida!" Toshiro snapped, "I don't need training from the likes of you! You're moves are way too wild and unfocused! You'll never hit anything fighting like that!"_

_ "Really? 'Cause I hit you quite a bit."_

_ Toshiro snarled. He did have quite a few burns on him. Part of his school uniform was singed and burned. _

_ "You didn't come out flawless," he growled at her._

_ Kaida shrugged, then winced in pain. It was true, she had quite a few wounds herself. She was fairly certain her right hand had frostbite. _

_ "I'm still getting used to Hotaru," she said evenly, smirking, "I wasn't expecting a whip-like Zanpakuto. It's a little hard to get the hang of."_

_ "Only a coward makes excuses for their weaknesses!" Toshiro said sharply._

_ Kaida laughed, "I'm a lot of things, Toshiro, but a coward is not one of them," she waved, "See you later, loser! You better have more moves next time."_

_ "Who said we were doing this again?" Toshiro snapped._

_ Kaida looked back at him when she went to limp away, "I did, dummy. So we're going to. Someone has to put you in your place."_

_ Despite Toshiro's reluctance that first night, they actually met up again to train. And again, and again until it became a weekly thing. The weird thing was, they never planned their training sessions. Always seeming to be on the same wavelength, ending up in that clearing at the same time and beginning their battle without a word. _

_ But by no means was it friendly. _

_ Their training sessions would end in heated arguments or bitter teasing most times. Kaida won some matches, and lost some others, and sometimes they would have a draw like they did that first night. In their classes, the two of them were constantly trying to outdo the other. Toshiro with his calm and calculated way of just being more thought out and strategic than Kaida, and Kaida with her having the more wild and unpredictable battle prowess, making her an incredibly tough opponent in sword combat. _

_ Once the instructors could no longer handle her in training since she would always beat them, it was decided that there was no more they could teach her. Around the same time, Toshiro was also dubbed completely trained. However, for Kaida, it was more than just besting her superiors in battle that allowed her to graduate so soon. They wanted to keep her to train her more in Kido, however, a certain Captain had had an eye on her for some time._

_ Kaida walked in on the argument when she arrived for class months after her first training session with Toshiro. _

_ "I'm taking her into my squad. End of discussion."_

_ Kaida paused in the doorway, perking a brow. One of her instructors was there, nearly red in the face, glaring up at a tall man with a crazy hairstyle done up in tall spikes around his head, each tip had a small bell tied to it. He wore a ragged Captain's robe, the back insignia claiming the number eleven. There was an eye patch over his right eye, and a line going straight down from his scalp line to his chin over his left eye. Kaida stared._

_ It was Kenpachi Zaraki. _

_ She had never directly met him. But she had heard the stories. This guy was supposed to be a battle god. He didn't even know his Zanpakuto's name, but he still dominated at swordsmanship. He became Captain by killing the last Captain of squad eleven in a duel. _

_ "Sir, she can't even control her spiritual pressure enough for the simplest Kido spells," said the instructor heatedly._

_ "She won't need your stupid Kido in squad eleven," Kenpachi said with a smirk, "She's perfect squad eleven material. Incredible combat skill and spiritual pressure. So I'm taking her. That's it."_

_ He glanced over, spotting Kaida for the first time. His grin widened wickedly, "Ah, there she is. Kaida Abarai, right? Renji's kid sister. I don't think we've met. I'm Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of squad eleven. I'm here to give you a seat in my squad."_

_ "A- a seated position in your squad?!" Kaida spluttered, eyes wide. She began to beam giddily, "Th-that's amazing! But why me?"_

_ "I've seen your little training sessions with the Hitsugaya kid. They'll want to keep you in the Academy to try and train you Kido, but I know your type. You'll never get it because your spiritual pressure is just too raw. It would just hold you back when you're more than ready to be out there facing Hollows. You're perfect for squad eleven," he smirked, "Besides. One day, you might be really fun to fight personally."_

_ "Yeah! I mean, that's kinda scary- but I'll totally take the position!" Kaida laughed nervously._

_ "Good!" Kenpachi grinned wickedly, "But don't think your training is over. There are things this school could never teach you. So the hard work is just starting, got it?"_

_ "Sure thing, Kenpachi!" Kaida beamed._

_ "Miss Abarai!" the instructor gasped, "You will address him as 'Captain Zaraki'! Where's your respect?!"_

_ "Heh!" Kenpachi chuckled, "No! I like it. She's bold. She'll need that."_

_ So Kaida joined squad eleven after she graduated that next week. Toshiro was given a seated position in squad ten. They didn't train after that. But by no means was their constant rivalry over. Both of them advanced in their squads, becoming third seats swiftly. Being surpassed by his kid sister had been a bit hard on Renji, but he took it in stride._

_ While the other seats in squad eleven had at first made fun and jeered at Kaida for her age and size, she quickly gained their respect with her skills. She became close friends with Ikkaku and Yumichika, and as always stayed close to Renji. Kenpachi would often send the four of them on missions together. Kenpachi himself constantly kept Kaida working to get stronger, however. Kaida began to suspect that he was trying to mold her to take his place or something. Like an heir. _

_ Kaida also became especially close to the Lieutenant, Yachiru. Their personalities were similar in a lot of ways with their love of fun and teasing. Yachiru was actually the first person to call Kaida Firefly back when she first joined squad eleven, and it had stuck ever since. Kaida never actually saw Yachiru fight. But she had a feeling there was a lot of power in that tiny pink-haired girl. Kaida wasn't even sure if she wanted to try and take her on in a fight. _

_ The years went on, and Toshiro eventually made Captain. Kaida remembered seeing him the first time in his new robes, and casting him a smirk._

_ "What are you smirking at?" he had demanded, crossing his arms._

_ They were on one of the streets in the seireitei on their own. Kaida had been out patrolling. _

_ "I'm just surprised they make Captain's robes in your size," she said, and laughed._

_ "Shut up, Abarai," Toshiro snapped._

_ Kaida perked a brow, "'Abarai'? Why so formal, Toshiro?"_

_ He stood taller, "It's Captain Hitsugaya now," he said curtly._

_ Kaida rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, Toshiro. I don't care if you are a Captain now, I'm not getting all formal for your sake. Besides, you're still a boring dork-face."_

_ "Well, too bad, that's my title," said Toshiro, crossing his arms._

_ "Well, too bad, I don't give a crap," Kaida beamed at him._

_ Toshiro sighed, shaking his head, "I should have known it wouldn't have changed anything," he grumbled, "You still think you're better than me."_

_ "It's only 'cause it's the truth," Kaida smirked._

_ "Tch," Toshiro turned, "I'm the one who got through the Academy on my own and actually worked for my title."_

_ "What are you talking about?" Kaida snapped, her smile turning into a scowl, "I worked to get where I'm at!"_

_ "You've been carried by Captain Zaraki," said Toshiro blandly, "Let's face it, Abarai, you don't work for anything."_

_ He turned and swept away at that point. Kaida glared after him, and their rivalry was set into even more heated motion then and there. Kaida sometimes wondered what would have happened if they had met differently. If their first encounter hadn't been her making a huge mess of a Kido spell. But she knew Toshiro would always be cold and dull and just out to get the job done and that was that. _

_ She would never get along with that._

_ Or…_

Or would she?

Kaida snapped back to the present. She was standing outside the holding cell area, Aizen's notes to Momo clutched in her hands. She wondered if Toshiro just knew how to let loose and have fun once and a while and not be so damn uptight if they could be friends like Momo wanted. It didn't seem possible. Their rivalry had been flared the day they met and been burning for all these years. Something like that just couldn't be put out. Even with ice cold as Toshiro's.

Fire and ice… just like Momo said. They were total opposites, and yet…

They were so alike.

Kaida shook herself and went into the building. She couldn't think about it now. There was too much to do.

Momo was sitting in her cell, looking down at the ground with a miserable face. It was obvious she had been crying. Kaida stepped forward, and Momo looked up. Her eyes lit up a bit.

"Oh, Kaida," she breathed.

"T'sup, Momo?" Kaida smiled a bit.

Momo got tears in her eyes.

Kaida sighed, stepping closer, "Listen, this isn't exactly the best advice coming from me… but… you kinda overreacted, chickie…"

Momo bowed her head, "I… I know. But I just couldn't think. I remembered what Toshiro said about Captain Ichimaru, and…"

"I get it," said Kaida, sitting cross-legged next to the bars, "We don't know exactly what's going on, Momo, but jumpin' to the conclusion that mister creeper smile did it is a little rash. That's a huge accusation, you know."

"I know…"

Kaida sighed again, "Frax, you look like a kicked puppy. Here," she held out the notes through the bars, "I found these on Aizen's desk. They have your name on 'em. I haven't even read 'em yet!"

Momo's eyes lit up, "From Captain Aizen…?" she breathed.

"Yeah," said Kaida, biting back the urge to make a sarcastic remark about how it wasn't from Aizen even though they were found on his desk. With his hand writing. Addressed to her. Damn, Kaida wasn't good at this comforting thing if she was tempted to be a joking little shit when Momo just lost one of the most important people in her life.

Momo took the notes, holding them close, "This must have been what he was writing last night… oh Captain Aizen…" she shook her head, closing her eyes tight, "Kaida is all this really happening?"

"I wish I could tell you it wasn't…" Kaida said truthfully, standing up, "Listen, I know it's none of my business, but if there's anything interesting in those notes that might lead us to the killer, let me know, alright? I want to find the bastard that did this just as much as you, Momo."

Momo looked up at her and nodded, "O-of course. I will."

"I'm going to go check on my brother," Kaida said, "I'll come check on you after my patrol, kays?"

"Alright… and… thank you, Kaida," Momo said softly, eyes shimmering.

Kaida beamed at her, "No problemo chickie. Just… try to hang in there, kay-kay?"

"'Kay," Momo smiled a bit.

Kaida nodded at her and left the room, heading for Renji's cell. He was still asleep, her scarf still tied around one of his biceps, laying in the bed with shackles upon his wrists. Kaida scowled at the sight. How dare they lock up her brother for such a stupid thing. So he fought Ichigo on his own. He was defending the seireitei, just like any of them! And locking up such a capable fighter like Renji was just dumb. Once he was healed, he could help find the Ryoka! Was everyone losing their minds around here?!

"Renji, what's going on?" Kaida whispered, bowing her head, closing her eyes, "I… I don't think I wanna face all this without you, even though you're a dumbass… And I don't need your help. I'm tough enough on my own, you know, I'm not a kid anymore… but still… it be… be nice…"

Were those tears? Damn she was such a sap. Kaida angrily wiped them away.

"Ichigo…" she hissed in fury.

Then, she felt it.

Kaida would never mistake that incredible spiritual pressure. Her head snapped up, eyes opening wide.

"…Kenpachi…" she breathed.

And another spiritual pressure she had felt before. One she could never forget.

Kenpachi had found Ichigo. And they were fighting to the death.


	8. Scrambling for Resolve

Too far.

It was too far!

Kaida was never going to reach the battle ground in time, even with flash step.

"Notfairnotfairnotfaaaaaaiiir!" she wailed as she rushed on, "Kenpachi is stealing my kill!"

She was supposed to be the one to kill Ichigo! Her! Not Kenpachi! She didn't care how much he wanted to have a good fight, Ichigo had hurt Renji and that made him HER kill!

Kaida rounded the corner, preparing to leap up on the rooftops again, but she ran smack into someone. Falling backward, Kaida wailed in protest.

"Nonononono now I REALLY won't get there in time, every second counts!" she cried.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you alright?"

Kaida looked up from her mini hissy fit and blinked.

There were two Soul Reapers before her that she had never met before. One was a girl with long ginger orange hair and steely blue eyes that were wide with worry as she looked down at Kaida. She was also almost as big as Rangiku in the chest department. Almost. But not quite. The other, the one that had spoken, was a young man with spectacles and black hair that parted down the middle, trailing down to frame the sides of his face. He was offering a hand to her.

Kaida bounced up on her own, ignoring the outstretched hand.

"I'm fine!" she said, and then her head snapped up the moment that Kenpachi and Ichigo's spiritual pressure suddenly vanished, "Crap basket! I missed it!" she sat back down again in a huff, crossing her arms and closing her eyes.

"Um… Are you okay?" the male asked.

"Someone just stole my kill…" Kaida mumbled, but then perked up again, "Wait- just- a- second! Kenpachi's pressure disappeared too! Does that… no… no waaaaaaay…!" her eyes got big.

"Uh… miss?" the girl asked tentatively.

Kaida leapt to her feet so fast it made the two of them yelp and flinch.

"He beat Kenpachi! Or… they beat each other… EITHER WAY! How can stupid Ichigo accomplish something like THAT?!" Kaida wailed wildly, hardly even aware of her audience.

But she did notice how they both blinked and looked sharp at the mention of Ichigo's name.

"You know Ichigo?" the girl whispered.

"Orihime!" the male hissed warningly.

Kaida blinked and looked at her, then the male, then back.

"What do you mean?" she asked, crossing her arms, "Do YOU know an Ichigo?"

"N-no," the male stammered, laughing nervously, "Is just sounded like you said Ikigo! We know an Ikigo, don't we, Orihime?" he elbowed her.

"U-uh yes!" Orihime said, laughing nervously as well.

Kaida smiled mischievously, "So tell me, what squad are you two in?"

They glanced at each other for a moment. Then the male smiled at her, "Uh- squad eleven."

Kaida smirked, "Really? I'm the third seat of squad eleven. I don't think I've met you two… and where are your Zanpakuto's? I mean, as the top battle units of the court guard squads, you can't tell me that you, members of squad eleven, forgot them in the barracks…?"

They glanced at each other again nervously.

"Uh-huh. That's what I thought. So, what's your names, Ryoka?" Kaida beamed, lacing hands behind her head.

"I'm Orihime Inoue," said the girl, smiling a bit sheepishly at her.

"Orihime, don't tell her your name!" the male snapped, "She just figured out we're Ryoka and you want to give her information?!"

"But Uryu, you already called me by my name…" Orihime said innocently.

He looked away, "Still! You can't just- oh fine, whatever, I'm Uryu Ishida…" he muttered.

"Well I'm Kaida Abarai!" said Kaida cheerfully, "T'sup?"

"Wait… Abarai…" Uryu narrowed his eyes and crouched defensively, "You're related to that Renji Abarai that retrieved Rukia from the world of the living?"

"Renji's my big brother," Kaida confirmed.

"So are you going to attack us?" Uryu demanded.

"Probably."

"Wait!" Orihime said, stepping forward, "Please, we're just trying to save our friend. You knew Ichigo's name, does that mean you've met him?"

Kaida glanced away, "We've shared a few words. Just a few."

"And you're Renji's sister. So you must know Rukia," said Orihime softly.

Kaida closed her eyes, "Look, this isn't easy. I don't want to kill Rukia's friends. But I don't have a choice. I told myself it would be better for her that she never knew you guys were here. She could die thinking she kept everyone safe like she wanted instead of Ichigo being a jerk-pancake and showing up here at some crazy attempt to stop something that can't be stopped. So I don't have a choice. It's nothin' personal, promise."

"But if your Rukia's friend, why aren't you trying to save her?" Uryu asked sharply, "She's going to die, doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Kaida front of Uryu's kimono before he could even blink. She clutched it tightly, glaring up at him, pulling him down to her level, which nearly made him fall over.

"Listen to me," she snapped, smile gone, "I've known Rukia Kuchiki as long as I can remember. She helped raise me. So believe me when I say of course it means something to me that she's going to die. But I'm a Soul Reaper! Rukia broke the law! There's nothing I or anyone can do! There are thirteen Captains between you and her, how the hell do you expect to save her? My loyalty is to the Soul Society, to squad eleven and my Captain, Kenpachi. If you think for even a second that this is easy on me then you're dead wrong. And it's all your buddy-pal Ichigo's fault!"

She shoved Uryu away from her, making him fall back onto his butt. He sat there, looking stunned. Orihime crouched beside him, glaring at Kaida.

"This isn't Ichigo's fault!" she said defensively, "Rukia didn't do anything wrong! She's a good person! She's my friend!"

"How can she be your friend when you only knew her for three months?!" Kaida cried, "How can you possibly be ready to risk your life for someone you barely know?!"

"And how can you, who has known Rukia your whole life, not even feel the slightest urge to save her life?" Uryu asked coldly.

Kaida opened her mouth to retort, but found she could not find the words. She looked away, inner turmoil lashing at her again. Were these humans right? Was she actually being a bad person- a bad friend, by not trying to save Rukia? But it wasn't that simple! Rukia broke the law, she went against the rules of the seireitei… But, like Yoriuichi said, Kaida wasn't exactly a rule-following girl. And all of this… Rukia's punishment, Aizen's death… it all seemed so crazy. Something had to be going on under the surface.

But what?

"Augh!" Kaida threw up her arms in frustration, "Whatever! I don't give a snicker stick anymore! This is all too freakin' crazy, I can't even think straight!" she narrowed her eyes, and looked at them, "Fine. I won't kill you."

"You're going to help us?" Orihime beamed, eyes wide and hopeful.

"Nuh uh."

"What? Then why are you letting us go?" Orihime blinked.

"I said I won't kill you two. But I'm not joining in on your crazy mission impossible stunt," Kaida said, crossing her arms.

"Then what's the point in letting us go?" asked Uryu.

"You know, you'd think the two of you would be more grateful and not question my decision to let you live," Kaida huffed, "Look. I can't go against the Soul Society or my Captain. But. I've decided I'm not going to be the one to try and stop you. If you guys win? Sweet, tell Rukia I said t'sup. But if not? Whatev's, no skin off my back. However, I will warn you," she narrowed her eyes, "If I see Ichigo I will kill him."

"Why?" Orihime gasped.

"He nearly killed my big brother. He's not getting away with it," Kaida growled.

"But he's our best hope of freeing Rukia," said Orihime desperately.

"He's also a dick waffle carrot top," snapped Kaida.

"That's an interesting insult…" Uryu muttered, adjusting his glasses, "Orihime, let her be. If it avoids a fight, then so be it."

Kaida turned, biting her lip. Was this the right choice? If anyone caught her letting Ryoka go… sure she wasn't assisting them, but this was just as bad. But still. She just couldn't bring herself to outright attack them. Maybe it was because part of her knew Rukia must know there were invaders by now, whether she was in the Repentance Cell or not. Maybe it was because it was possible somewhere deep within her that Kaida hoped that they would succeed in their mission. Even if Rukia escaped and could no longer be a true Soul Reaper, at least she would be alive somewhere…

Then Kaida remembered why she came running out here in the first place.

"Oh snack stacks!" she cried, "Kenpachi!"

And without another word, she flash-stepped away, leaving Uryu and Orihime staring in baffled confusion.

*.*.*

Eravi felt the two fighting spiritual pressures drop to nothing. He paused in his travel, frowning under his ragged hood. It had definitely been Kenpachi Zaraki, that spirit signature was unforgettable, but who had he been fighting? A Ryoka? How could a Ryoka be that strong?

No matter. Eravi had more important matters.

"Captain Tosen?"

Eravi stepped into the room, and spotted his sightless Captain sitting at a table. He faced toward Eravi when the third seat entered, and nodded in welcome.

"Tentzu, how can I help you?" he asked in that almost stoic calm voice.

"Captain… I have something to report," Eravi said.

"Regarding the Ryoka?"

"No, regarding Captain Aizen's death."

Tosen frowned a bit, "I see. Come, sit down."

Eravi made his way closer, but not without running into one of the decorative stands and sending it crashing to the floor. There was more than one reason that his nickname was Domino. He flinched at the shattering sound and smiled sheepishly.

"Uh… sorry about that, sir…" he mumbled.

Tosen smiled lightly, "Tentzu, I do find it interesting that I am the one lacking sight yet you are the one who constantly runs into things."

"Irony has a funny way of slapping me in the face, sir," Eravi said, sitting across the table from his Captain cross-legged, placing his hands on his knees and leaning forward on them, elbows out to his sides, his upper arms parallel with the floor. Tosen sat calmly, his dark skin glistening slightly in the light coming from the window, his hair done back in an array of braids, a few of them falling in his face. There were whitish blue sunglasses concealing his blind eyes, but Eravi could just make out the outline of their shape through the lenses. The orange scarf around Tosen's neck was the brightest color there, standing out like a splatter of paint.

"I was present when Lieutenant Hinamori attempted to attack Captain Ichimaru," said Eravi swiftly, "Myself and the third seat of squad eleven, Kaida Abarai, witnessed her and Lieutenant Kira battle until Captain Hitsugaya intervened. Once they were taken away, however…" Eravi frowned a bit, staring at the table, "Captain Hitsugaya and Captain Ichimaru shared some words."

"Oh?" Tosen asked, perking a brow.

Eravi nodded, knowing that even though Tosen could not see, he would sense the movement, "It was… a little confusing, sir. It seems Captain Hitsugaya was accusing Captain Ichimaru of attempting to kill Lieutenant Hinamori. But Ichimaru denied it… He also told Hitsugaya to keep a close eye on Hinamori. It was almost like he was threatening her, sir. Miss Abarai pulled us away before either of them noticed we were there listening. She seemed to know more about what was going on than I did…"

Eravi paused, frowning in thought, "The way she spoke was almost as if she and Hitsugaya both thought it was a high possibility that Ichimaru killed Captain Aizen…"

Tosen had listened the entire time silently. Once Eravi finished, he frowned thoughtfully, "Thank you for reporting this to me, Tentzu. It is a disturbing development. I will inform the other Captains as soon as possible about the situation. Something will have to be done."

"I do believe it's possible that the Ryoka didn't do this," said Eravi, "But it couldn't possibly be Captain Ichimaru, could it?"

"I would not jump to conclusions," said Tosen, getting to his feet, "In any case, we should make it a priority to capture one of the Ryoka alive for questioning. In fact… I think we may already have one in the squad four barracks. Once he awakes, it would be wise to question him. I will go out personally to attempt to find another."

"What would you have me do, sir?" asked Eravi.

"Go back out on patrol. Try to find another Ryoka."

Tosen seemed distant somehow. He was not facing Eravi when he spoke, and from the look on his face he was deep in thought. Eravi felt a strange unsettling feeling.

"Yes, Captain," Eravi stood and headed out of the room.

As he got back out on the streets, he could not help but feel some sort of storm was coming, one even greater than what the Ryoka had brought. What was happening? Assassinations within the seireitei walls, possible betrayers... why? Why kill Aizen, what had been the point?

What was the motive?

"At this rate I won't get my mandatory nap in today," Eravi sighed sadly.

*.*.*

Kaida could not find Kenpachi. She hoped that Yachiru, who she always had trouble sensing for some reason, was with him and got him help or… something. She did, however, find the battle ground.

It looked like those scenes back in the world of the living in the aftermath of a hurricane. Only the buildings were broken into bits as if they were sliced up by a giant cleaver. What was Ichigo made of?! How could he stand his own against Kenpachi?! Kaida was even certain she felt the explosion of spiritual pressure that always happened when Kenpachi took off his eye patch. Which meant he went full power…

"I don't get it, he's just a human!" she spat angrily, "He's defeated my big brother, and now my Captain too?!"

Ichigo was nowhere to be found either. Which suggested that he somehow survived. The only reason Kaida was slightly pleased about that was because she wanted to be the one to kill him. But she couldn't kill him if she couldn't find him… so where did he go?

"Crap baskets…" Kaida sighed, "This is just getting ridiculous…"

Then she looked up. She wasn't far at all from the Repentance Cell. Without even making the conscience decision, she was flash-stepping toward it. She raced along the steps and buildings easily, a strange feeling fueling her movements. Within a few minutes, she landed on the bridge. The two guards perked up at her arrival.

"Kaida Abarai?" one asked.

"Can I visit Rukia?" Kaida asked, walking forward.

She felt exhausted, and she guessed she must have looked it as well, for the two guards were eyeing her warily.

"Are you alright, Miss Abarai?"

"I'm… I'm just…" Kaida shook her head, "Can I please see Rukia?"

The two guards glanced at one another.

"She's not meant to have visitors."

"We all know that you guys let Renji in," snapped Kaida, without actually knowing it was true or not, hoping her bluff would get her somewhere, "So you can with me too! I'll just be a tick."

The two guards exchanged one more look and then conceded.

Kaida stepped through the doors slowly, not even sure of what she was doing. The room was more of a massive hollow tower. The material it was made of could suppress the ability to sense spiritual pressure. Kaida felt her own senses muffled as she stepped in, looking around. A large spiral staircase wound around the edge of the room. She spotted Rukia sitting at one of the windows, staring out, in her white kimono and a thoughtful look in her eyes. Somehow it hurt Kaida to see her look so… small. So vulnerable.

"Rukia," she called softly, looking up.

Rukia's head snapped around and her eyes widened slightly.

"Kaida?"

Kaida nodded at her. Rukia made her way down the stairs to get to the bottom floor. Kaida approached her slowly, her head down.

"What's happening out there?" Rukia asked, "Renji was here a few days ago- he- he said that- that Ichigo was in the Soul Society…"

Kaida shook her head, eyes closed tight, "Rukia…"

"Kaida what's wrong?" Rukia grabbed her shoulders, "Is Ichigo okay?!"

"…I don't know what to do."

"What?"

Kaida looked up at Rukia, "I- I always so sure! So certain of myself! Of who to fight for, who to defend- _why_ I fight- and _why_ I defend but- but now- I- I just…" she started shaking, "I feel like a child," she whispered.

"Kaida," Rukia sighed, looking her over with soft eyes, "Just take a breath. Talk to me."

Kaida shook herself out, shaking her head, "Right, I'm sorry. I…" she sighed heavily, "So Renji told you about the Ryoka?"

"Yes, and that one survived against Gin Ichimaru and that he looked… looked like…"

"Stupid moron."

"What?"

"Not you. Renji," Kaida crossed her arms, scowling at the ground, "It would have been better to never tell you who the Ryoka were. Doesn't he even have half a brain? Dumbass."

"Why shouldn't he have?" Rukia demanded, "It's my fault Ichigo's here… that he was ever even dragged into this."

"Because…" Kaida shook her head, "Rukia, there's… Look." She sighed, "Let me just give you a recap of what's gone on."

She relayed to Rukia how Ichigo defeated Renji, and about Aizen's assassination. She also mentioned how she and Toshiro had overheard that conversation between Aizen and Gin, and about Toshiro accusing him of trying to kill Momo. She wrapped it up with how she ran into Yoriuichi a few days ago, and how she just ran into Uryu and Orihime after rushing to see what happened with the fight between Ichigo and Kenpachi.

"I couldn't find Ichigo anywhere, or Kenpachi, so I assume they both lived," said Kaida finally, leaning against the wall.

"So that's the two spiritual pressures I felt earlier," Rukia muttered, "… Kaida… Thank you for not hurting Uryu or Orihime."

"Yeah, well," Kaida sniffed, "I figured it was the least I could do since…" she trailed off, figuring it might not be the smartest idea to tell Rukia she was planning on killing Ichigo.

"Since?" Rukia prompted.

Kaida beamed at her innocently, "Ah! Don't worry about it, Rukia. Listen. I have to go find Toshiro. I just… I wanted to see you again."

Rukia nodded gently, but there was no denying the look in her eyes. Kaida felt something stir in her. Rukia had helped raise her. She was one of her best friends, practically her big sister. Yet she was letting this execution get closer without fighting it. Was it right?

_What am I fighting for?_ Kaida thought desperately.

"Thanks for telling me everything, Kaida," Rukia said.

"Yeah, you know… no prob," Kaida rolled her shoulders, "I…" Kaida couldn't find any more words. She sighed and shook her head, "Goodbye, Rukia…" she muttered, and ran from the room before her tears could hit the floor.

*.*.*

Toshiro Hitsugaya was rifling through several notes at his desk, comparing different ideas, concepts, and possibilities, everything his mind could come up with regarding the death of Sosuke Aizen. His death had been confirmed by the fourth squad Captain. Soul chain shattered and everything. He grunted in annoyance and crumpled up his current sheet of paper and tossed it. He was getting nowhere. What was Gin's plan? What could Aizen have possibly known to warrant his death?

And for that matter, where the hell was Kaida? He sent her to Aizen's quarters hours ago. It did not take that long to get to the fifth division's barracks and back, even factoring in the time it took to rifle through the Captain's living space. Toshiro grit his teeth, scowling. She was most likely fooling around like a child as usual. But then again, he had felt Kenpachi Zaraki's spiritual pressure flaring up a bit ago, which meant he was in a battle of some sort. She could have possibly gone to assist or watch her Captain.

But the fooling around possibility was much more likely.

He shoved his paperwork off the desk in frustration and then instantly regretted it. He had had those perfectly organized alphabetically and by date. Now he was going to have to sort through them again. Damn.

As he crouched and began to pick them up, he thought back to when he first actually laid eyes on Kaida Abarai. This little girl stepping up that day in class, grinning big and holding out her hand toward the targets. Toshiro had heard of another young student that had gotten into the Academy but that had been the first time he actually saw her.

He could tell she had incredible spiritual pressure, but it was wild and unstable.

Like fire.

He had looked at the way the sun reflected off her vivid scarlet hair, at the determination in her eyes, those eyes that were the color of brilliant golden amber. Though only one was visible, and most of her face was hidden by that red scarf.

Toshiro had watched her with interest, though her excitement was a bit off putting and childish. But then the explosion happened. And all that interest turned into pure annoyance. From that day on she always infuriated him. When they ran into one another in the woods that day, and he realized she could summon her Zanpakuto, he had been more than surprised that a flighty little moron like her could even do such a thing.

Maybe it was then he realized that she did have some potential.

No, Toshiro would not deny that Kaida was a good fighter, despite the jabs he sent her way when they were younger. But she had no tact, and hardly any common sense. She went into battle like a wild, flailing fire, never planning, never thinking ahead, just go, go, going.

And she had the nerve to say she was better than him!

"Tch!" Toshiro angrily smacked his stack of papers on his desk, so hard that they scattered again. He cursed and went back to picking them up.

The training sessions, as much as he hated to admit, helped him improve quite a bit. And he knew he did the same for Kaida. Always with that confident smirk barely visible over that red scarf.

He had seen her without her scarf for the first time today.

Had seen her face for the first time…

Toshiro felt his face warm slightly and he fumbled in stacking the papers, and for a third time they went flying everywhere.

Even when she wasn't in the room, Kaida was making him furious. She would laugh at him to no end if she saw this and realized she was the cause. She would smirk at him triumphantly and then call him 'Little Shiro'. Damn Momo for giving her that ammunition.

And Momo… Toshiro sighed heavily. She should never have gotten dragged into this. He would not allow her to get hurt. If Gin got anywhere close to her…

Toshiro crushed a paper in his fist.

What was happening? Working willingly with the person that frustrated him most, thinking about murdering a fellow Captain… These Ryoka had caused so much strife.

"You look like you're having fun."

Toshiro snapped his head around and narrowed his eyes, "You're late."

"There was a deadline? Oops."

Kaida was leaning against the wall by his desk. Toshiro wondered how long she had been there, seeing at the door to his quarters were shut. Had she seen him turn red and drop the papers all over again?

"Did you find anything?" he asked, going back to picking up his papers.

"Not really," sighed Kaida, "'Cept a note to Momo."

"Huh?" Toshiro looked around at her again.

"Yeah it was just sittin' on Aizen's desk," said Kaida, shrugging, "It had Momo's name on it, so… I gave it to her."

"You should have let me look at it first," said Toshiro.

"That would be rude."

"Since when do you care about being rude?"

"Momo's my friend. You? Not so much," Kaida beamed at him.

Her smile was incredible without being half hidden. Toshiro blinked and looked away, swallowing. Strange. He never pictured that Kaida's face would actually be nice to look at. Somehow he always thought that it always annoy him, but now that he could see most of it (her hair still hid the upper left side) he found that she was actually very… unique.

"Did you read it?" he asked.

"No, that didn't really sit right with me, I thought about it but…" Kaida shook her head, "It just… Aizen was pretty important to Momo, ya know?"

"Yes, I know," said Toshiro softly, placing his finally neatly stacked papers on the desk again, very gently this time, "I'm not sure I know where to go from here," he admitted and sat in his chair in a huff.

"I see you've been brainstorming like a huge nerd," Kaida pointed at some of his papers.

Toshiro shot her a glare, "Someone has to think around here, you're sure not doing it," he snapped.

"I'm doing far more important stuff."

"Oh? Like what? Because you haven't even found a single Ryoka like you claim to always be doing."

"Heh," Kaida snickered slightly and shook her head, "Actually, I've been running errands that you're too lazy to do yourself."

"Tch!" Toshiro spat, spinning to face her in his chair, "I send you because I know you can get away with it! Do you know how it would look for a Captain to be doing the things I've sent you to do?!"

"Did you just compliment me?"

"No. It was more of an insult."

"You totally just complimented me!" Kaida smiled big again, making Toshiro look away.

"You're so thick it's incredible you even know the blade from the hilt on your Zanpakuto," he muttered.

"Why's your face red?" Kaida asked, leaning close and poking his shoulder.

"Stop touching me!"

"But you're blushing! Don't get me wrong, it's hilarious, but I usually like knowing what I did to embarrass you when it happens," Kaida poked him again.

"Kaida!" Toshiro smacked her hand away.

"Heehee! I win."

Toshiro still didn't get why she said that every time he said her first name.

Kaida leaned back against the wall, lacing her hands behind her head, "Well, nerd-cakes, what's our next course of action?"

Toshiro sighed, propping his elbows on his desk and closing his eyes, folding his hands together and pressing his lips to his knuckles. That was a good question actually. There wasn't much they could do without evidence and with the Ryoka running amuck. Whoever was behind this, Gin or not, was incredibly smart to strike when the invasion happened. The idea that the Ryoka might be involved somehow, if not just being the distraction unit, had crossed his mind. But he had a feeling that none of them were actually behind the assassination itself. All the evidence that he had, though there was very little of it, pointed to Gin.

"You look exhausted."

Toshiro blinked and looked back to see Kaida smiling at him, though it was not her normal huge blinding shit-eating grin or even the harsh smirk. It was soft and her eyes were almost pitying. Toshiro didn't know why he both found this expression strangely nice and absolutely infuriating at the same time.

"What?" he snapped, "I'm fine."

"Pfft," Kaida rolled her eyes, "Look, loserly-McDumb-bee, I'm trying to be nice to you for once, so just shut up and go to bed."

"You don't exactly look ready for battle either," Toshiro mumbled, crossing his arms.

Kaida laughed, "You'd be right! I'm deader on my feet than a squirrel who just crashed from a coffee rush," she shook her head, "Today has… well today just plain sucked waffles, honestly."

Toshiro got to his feet and sighed, "I guess you're right that I won't get anything done in this state," he admitted grudgingly.

"I'm always right."

"Highly debatable."

"So is your fun skills. Go to bed, Little Shiro," and the smirk was back as she knocked his stack of papers on the ground again and went to the couch and plopped down on it.

Toshiro looked at the papers on the ground, then at the already asleep Kaida. He felt his body consider shaking in pure rage. But then he just sighed heavily and walked out of the room to get to his bed.

Yes. That day had definitely sucked waffles. Whatever that meant.


	9. Choosing Sides

Eravi walked through the night, frowning slightly. There had been no activity for hours now. No sign of the Ryoka, no sign of… anything really. His cloak billowed out behind him as he made his way through the streets, his white eyes barely visible beneath his hood, darting around as he looked for any hint of movement. There were a few patrols here and there, but they were all slow moving and grumbling to one another about how they wished they could be in bed instead.

Leaping up onto a rooftop, Eravi was just about to head back to squad nine barracks to report his grand findings of nothing to Tosen when he heard something a few streets over. Eravi jumped two rooftops before pausing and looking down into the street. Below there was a small group of Soul Reapers, and they appeared to be arguing with one another.

"You're telling me you're out to patrol for the Ryoka and the two of you don't even have your Zanpakuto's on you?"

Eravi recognized those three Reapers from squad eleven, though none of them were seats. They had surrounded two Soul Reapers that Eravi had never seen before, one a young woman with long ginger hair, the other a young man with black hair parted down the center and spectacles perched on his nose.

The girl laughed nervously, "We were just in such a hurry, right Uryu?"

"Yes," replied the boy, "We rushed out and didn't even realize that we forgot them until you just pointed it out to us."

"I don't believe it for a second," said one of the accusers, "Something isn't right about the two of you!"

Eravi was inclined to agree. There was something… off… about their spiritual pressure. It felt different than normal, granted each Soul Reaper had a unique spiritual pressure, there was always a consistency to it. These two… they lacked that consistency. Theirs felt…

"Hey, are these guys giving you two trouble?"

A new group of Soul Reapers stepped out into the street, heading toward the quarreling bunch. Eravi saw their kimono's were that of squad twelve.

"These two are from our squad, look at their uniform!" said the one at the front of the group, "Now don't you thugs from squad eleven have anything better to do than to harass everyone else? Shouldn't you be out looking for the Ryoka? Oh, that's right, all the seated members from squad eleven and a huge portion of their normal barracks are either missing or have been defeated! By Ryoka no less! And you guys have the nerve to be picking on them for something as insignificant as forgetting their swords."

"Typical over confident squad eleven," grunted another.

"Hey!" snapped one of the squad eleven members, "You have no right to be accusing us of anything!"

"And you have no right to be accusing them of anything!" laughed the one at the head of the group again, "Get lost."

The three squad eleven members grumbled and stalked off.

Eravi frowned as he continued watching the group from squad twelve as they moved in around the ginger headed girl and the boy called Uryu.

"Sorry about that, squad eleven is a bunch of assholes," said one.

"Uh, thanks for that," said Uryu, shifting a bit, "Orihime," he added to the girl, "We should get back to the barracks and get our swords."

"Oh! Yes!" said Orihime, laughing nervously again, "Since it seems to be causing us such trouble!"

"We'll go with you," said one of the others, "In case squad eleven comes back."

"That won't be necessary."

Eravi jumped down into the street, landing in a crouch, his cloak flowing out around him, then stood slowly, looking over Uryu and Orihime with a slight smile.

"Eravi Tentzu?" yelped one of the members of squad twelve, "Wh-where did you come from?"

It seemed his appearance had placed all of the squad twelve guys on edge. They were glancing at one another warily, and shifting uncomfortably. Eravi frowned at them.

"I was on patrol and witnessed the whole ordeal," he said, "I can take them back to their barracks. Not even squad eleven will mess with a third seat. Besides, a group as large as yours should be patrolling, right?" he gave them a big smile.

"Uh-" the head of their group swallowed, "I- I suppose-"

Eravi felt a strange twinge in the spiritual pressure around him. Right when it spiked, the boy called Uryu yelped out, "WATCH OUT!"

The explosion was deafening. Eravi braced himself too late, his arms going up around him to shield his face. However instead of experiencing pain like he so thought he would, all that he was assaulted by was the ringing in his ears and the air blasting around his sides. Opening his eyes and lowering his arms slowly as the dust began to clear, he saw a strange orange-yellow barrier around himself, Orihime, and Uryu. It faded slowly, and Eravi looked around with wide eyes at the carnage that had been left around them.

The members of squad twelve had just exploded.

There was one left standing, though terribly injured as he limped down the street where two figures had appeared.

"Captain! You said we were just supposed to lure them out- when- why-" he rasped.

"Now, now…" drawled a creeping voice, "Once the bombs were in place, none of you were supposed to survive it…"

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of squad twelve, also the head of Research and Development, stalked forward with a device in his hand. His skeletal like appearance had always unnerved Eravi. He appeared not to possess any lips, his uniform bleach white teeth always in view. His face was black as coal, surrounded by white that went up to a strange crescent like structure that hugged his skull and pointed out to the left. Odd golden cones were over where ears would normally be, as well as one upon his chin. His eyes were a sickly yellow, and he wore a large purple scarf about his neck, as well as the white Captain robes over his black kimono. His Zanpakuto was sheathed directly in front of his waist, held there by a sash about his waist. Eravi knew the color scheme of his skin was make-up that was carefully painted on every single morning, and then removed every single night.

It was very easy to say that Eravi had always disliked this Captain. Kurotsuchi had a tendency to only care for himself and his research. He treated life like it was just another variable in his experiments, something as insignificant as a test tube or beaker. In all actuality, this Captain disgusted Eravi to no end. Always had, even before their slight touch of history.

With his head tilting slightly to the side, Kurotsuchi pressed his thumb down on the device's button in his hand. In a wild explosion, the last survivor of his sick bombs was destroyed. This bomb was too far from either the Captain or the three of them to do any damage, but the gore still splattered outward. Eravi found himself shaking.

The girl, Orihime, was crying softly on the ground. Uryu had his fists clenched, crouched at the ready as he looked over at Captain Kurotsuchi with hatred in his eyes.

"You saved my life," Eravi muttered to the girl, holding out a hand to her where she was sitting on the ground.

Orihime looked up at him, eyes shimmering still, "I don't understand… what happened?" she whimpered, "They… they're all…"

Eravi blinked sympathetically at her, and glanced around, feeling a fresh wave of fury bathe him.

"You used your own men as traps!" Uryu spat, "How could you possibly do that?! You murdered them!"

Kurotsuchi tossed the now useless detonator away. Eravi saw his Lieutenant, Nemu, was behind him, her hands behind her back, long raven black hair braided out of her beautiful face.

"That was quite the interesting power you had there, girl," Kurotsuchi said toward Orihime, "I've never seen the like of it before! Why don't you come with me back to my lab? I promise to even spare your life and make the experiments as painless as possible!"

"Enough," Eravi stepped forward, "What's the meaning of this, Captain Kurotsuchi?"

"Ah, Eravi Tentzu," Kurotsuchi set his yellow gaze on him, "I must say, none of this would have had to have gotten so messy if you showed up. You were threatening to compromise the trap see, which you did anyway. I had to set off the bombs before I was ready."

Eravi let out a soft growl, "Don't you tell me that this is my fault. You murdered these Soul Reapers. What do you think the Head Captain is going to think of this?"

"As far as I can see it, you're in league with the Ryoka," said Kurotsuchi smoothly, a wicked gleam in his eyes, "That girl protected you with her powers as well. Now why would she do that?"

Eravi grunted, crossing his arms, "I don't know why she did it, but she saved my life," he said swiftly, "And unlike you, I have honor," he took a deep breath, and his white eyes glared out at the Captain with muted fury, "By my code of honor, I won't let you do any harm to this girl, Ryoka or not."

He heard Orihime give a soft gasp behind him. Uryu was staring at him. Eravi wasn't sure if this was the right choice, or even a choice he exactly wanted. The Ryoka had to be captured and taken in for questioning about Aizen's death. Those were his own Captain's orders. But this girl, Orihime, had risked her own life to save his along with her friend's. How could she had known that Eravi wouldn't hurt them as soon as he discovered they were Ryoka? Was she that selfless that she would defend a total stranger, not only that but one on the enemy side, from danger like that?

It had been a long time since Eravi saw a heart that pure.

Eravi didn't think he could hurt her, or allow anything to.

"Noble," said Kurotsuchi blandly, "But you realize that this brands you as a traitor, Tentzu."

Eravi glanced back at Orihime, then toward the Captain, "I am not betraying the Soul Society by denying you to torture this girl in your sick experiments. My own Captain has me on strict orders to capture the Ryoka alive and well to question them about Captain Aizen's death. I will follow Captain Tosen's orders over yours at any time."

Kurotsuchi let out a chuckle, "I think I see what this is about, Tentzu. You never have appreciated me or my work ever since that other Ryoka incident all those years ago."

Eravi clenched his fists, "Silence," he whispered in dark fury, "You have no right to ever bring that up."

"It is a little like déjà vu, is it not?" Kurotsuchi drawled.

Eravi nearly lost his temper, his hand flying to his hilt, but the boy, Uryu, spoke up.

"Eravi, is it?" he asked, looking back at him.

Eravi nodded, "Third seat of squad nine," he said, "Eravi Tentzu."

"If you're serious about protecting Orihime, I want you to take her now and run," said Uryu, looking back at Kurotsuchi.

"Are you kidding me?" Eravi actually laughed, stepping forward and clapping a hand on Uryu's shoulder, "That's a Captain. You would stand no chance on your own, Ryoka."

Uryu suddenly vanished. Eravi yelped as he nearly lost his footing but Orihime caught him by his arm and pulled him upright. Eravi looked around until he spotted that Uryu had reappeared to Kurotsuchi's right, and there was what appeared to be a bow made entirely of spiritual energy in the Ryoka's hand, one hand holding back a glowing blue arrow, aiming it at Kurotsuchi's head.

"I am no mere Ryoka, Eravi," said Uryu briskly.

Eravi stared. Had Uryu just flash-stepped? But how was that possible? He couldn't be a Soul Reaper, not with that strange weapon…

"Ah…" Kurotsuchi glanced over at Uryu, seeming unfazed by the bow aimed right at his skull, "A Quincy. Interesting that one of you is still alive, but I already have all the research I need on your kind. I am far more interested in the girl."

A Quincy! Of course! It had been ages since Eravi had heard of them. They were supposed to be extinct. How one survived was astounding. But even so, how could he hope to defeat a Captain?

"Eravi, take Orihime and go," said Uryu sharply.

Eravi opened his mouth to argue, to tell Uryu that he would be killed, but he stopped. He was already pushing it by allowing Uryu to threaten a Captain, but outright attacking Kurotsuchi with him? That would definitely make him a traitor. Besides, his code of honor was to Orihime. It was her life that he felt he had to protect.

So, he loped an arm around Orihime's waist and flash-stepped away, trying not to think about how badly Uryu was about to be beaten. He did not get pursued, and he felt some small explosions of spiritual pressure, so he assumed the Quincy was at least holding Kurotsuchi back. Eravi would have to bring Orihime back to Tosen before anything else. He knew Tosen disliked Kurotsuchi's sick experiments as much as Eravi did, and that he would not allow even a Ryoka to undergo such things.

"We have to go back!" Orihime wailed when Eravi paused in one of the streets, "Uryu needs our help!"

"Listen to me," Eravi said, setting her on her feet and placing a hand on her shoulder, "Even if we went back to help him, if Kurotsuchi released his Bankai that would be it, even for me. I don't possess a Bankai of my own, and I wouldn't stand a chance. We just have to hope that your friend will escape when he gets the chance."

"Hiya Domino!"

Eravi flinched and turned to see a small figure bouncing toward them.

"Who's that?" Orihime gasped, grabbing his sleeve.

As the peppy little pink hair girl came to a halt in front of them, Eravi just bowed his head in defeat and sighed.

"Hiya… Lieutenant Kusajishi."

*.*.*

Kaida woke, blinking drowsiness from her eyes, and sat up, yawning widely and stretching her arms above her and looking around. She had almost forgotten she had been so tired the previous night she merely fell asleep on Toshiro's couch. It also took her a moment to realize that there was someone sleeping on the couch with her.

"Ah! Rangiku!"

It was lucky Kaida was so small that made it simple… ish… for them to both be sleeping on the same sofa. Rangiku must had picked Kaida up and laid her on her lap and then fallen asleep too. At the cry of her name, the tenth squad lieutenant yelped awake and jumped up so fast that it sent Kaida toppling to the floor.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Kaida, are you alright?" she asked.

Kaida grumbled as she sat up, rubbing the back of her head, "Why were you sleeping with me in your lap?!" she demanded.

"Well you just looked so precious all curled up here and I didn't have the heart to wake you, but see, I was really tired too, and my quarters were all the way down the hall… so…" Rangiku smiled big.

"That's kind of the definition of laziness, sugar boobs, not gonna lie," Kaida said.

"Are you two done?"

The both of them flinched and looked around to see Toshiro sitting at his desk carefully straightening a stack of papers.

"Captain, I didn't realize you were here!" Rangiku laughed nervously.

"You two have been sleeping for nearly the entire day," said Toshiro dryly, "Rangiku, I need you to finish up this paper work," he gestured to a small pile of papers, "I've finished the rest," he glanced at a much larger stack to his right.

"Oh my, we really did sleep for a long time…" sighed Rangiku.

"…I understand that it must have been hard to see your fellow lieutenants act in such ways, yesterday," said Toshiro, glancing away.

"Captain… do you really think Gin killed Aizen?" Rangiku asked softly.

Toshiro looked up, but his eyes actually met Kaida's. She looked away, shrugging. She heard him sigh, and begin to try and speak, but before even one syllable could make it out, there was a knock on the office door.

"Captain, it's Kokichiro Takezoe," said a male voice.

"Come in," said Toshiro briskly.

It was a tenth squad Soul Reaper that stepped in with short brown hair and a thin mustache. He looked serious, and grave. He glanced at Kaida with a perked brow for a moment.

"Uh… I was… sent to assist… from Kenpachi… yeeeaaaah…." Kaida said slowly then gave him a huge grin.

Takezoe blinked and then shrugged as if he either believed her or didn't care that she was lying, and looked back at Toshiro, "Captain, I'm afraid I've come with bad news."

"That being?" Toshiro asked, leaning forward on his desk.

"Lieutenants Renji Abarai, Izuru Kira, and Momo Hinamori have all escaped from their cells," said Takezoe.

Kaida stood frozen. Wait, what?! Renji escaped from his cell? But why? What was he doing?

"My brother?" she breathed, "Why- no- when? When did this happen?"

"It's hard to tell exactly when, but it was discovered not but an hour ago," said Takezoe, "Lieutenant Abarai in particular left quite the path of destruction behind him, but he hasn't killed anyone he's come across. All the Soul Reapers we've found that were attacked by him were either knocked out or otherwise incapacitated."

"Momo…" Toshiro hissed, then looked at Kaida, and they shared a look of understanding.

Whatever had been in Aizen's note to her was what caused her to act so brashly. Which meant it was more than possible it was the key to discovering exactly who killed her Captain.

The three of them followed Takezoe to the holding cells at that point. Kaida felt her mind spinning. She knew that the key to solving Aizen's death would be ideally to follow after Momo. But her brother… what was Renji doing? Could he possibly be connected? And what about Izuru? Where was he in all of this?

The guard that had been watching Momo was still sitting down with a squad four member looking over him.

"What happened?" Toshiro demanded.

The guard flinched a bit, "I'm sorry, I'm not even sure what happened. One moment she was there, the next I was on the floor waking up."

"Tch," Toshiro grunted, crossing his arms, "If you all really intended to keep her in a cell, you should have sealed her spiritual force. Momo's a master of Kido…" he glanced back, "Rangiku, go back to the barracks, you're in charge until I return. I'm going to go find Momo myself."

Rangiku looked like she was going to argue for a moment, but then bowed her head, "Yes sir."

As Rangiku retreated, Toshiro looked at Kaida, "I know you want to find where your brother went, but I could use an extra pair of eyes. And it's not just for Momo."

Kaida understood what he was getting at. Izuru was Gin's Lieutenant. It could be that he was personally involved with Aizen's murder, if Gin was indeed part of all this.

"I dunno, Toshiro, this is kind of getting annoying with you ordering me around," she said, lacing hands behind her head.

"Now isn't the time for your stupid games, Abarai," said Toshiro sharply, "I hate working with you just as much as you do with me. So let's just agree to dislike each other and then move on. This isn't about our 'rivalry' as you call it. It's bigger than that."

"Silly Toshiro, it's always about our rivalry," said Kaida, "And you are right, I need to go find Renji."

"We don't have time," said Toshiro, almost at a shout, "What matters now is bigger than you or me or your brother, Abarai. We need to find out who killed Aizen and what they're up to, what their next step is, and we need to do it before they make that step. For all we know the entire seireitei could be in danger."

Kaida crossed her arms, "My brother could be in danger. And I may be a loyal Soul Reaper, but in my book, he comes first. I gotta find him."

"And keeping him safe may rely on us finding out who killed Aizen!" Toshiro bellowed, "Think about it, Kaida!"

Kaida looked at him for a long moment before muttering, "… I win."

Toshiro slapped a palm over his face.

Kaida giggled before speaking again, "Yeah alright, whatever," she sighed heavily, "But as soon as we find Momo, I'm going after Renji. Period."

*.*.*

Eravi wasn't sure how he got into this situation.

He stood now in squad eleven's barracks, shifting uncomfortably as fourth seat Ikkaku Madarame and fifth seat Yumichika Ayasegawa looked at him from their spots on the right side of the room and Orihime sat in front of the bed on which sat a heavily bandaged Kenpachi Zaraki. Yachiru Kusajishi, the little pink haired Lieutenant, bounced around with a big smile on her face.

"I wanna see the bubbles!" she said.

Eravi laughed nervously, "Perhaps in a bit!"

He had explained to Yachiru when she found him and Orihime that he had been taking the girl to see her because her powers made bubbles and that he thought Yachiru would appreciate it. It had worked in the effect that the only person Yachiru informed that Eravi had helped a Ryoka was Kenpachi.

Which was a little terrifying in itself.

But it seemed that things may work out in his favor.

"So where is Kurosaki?" Ikkaku asked, looking at Orihime.

Ichigo Kurosaki was the Ryoka that had defeated both Ikkaku and Kenpachi. Eravi had yet to meet this one, but Orihime had spoken about him on their way here.

"I think that he's alive," said Orihime, "I've sensed his spiritual pressure every so often."

Kenpachi gave one of his large eerie smiles that usually expressed how much he was going to enjoy ripping one's intestines from their throat, "Good. I hope that Ichigo is still breathing because I hadn't had that much fun in a long time. Listen, girl. I'm going to help you out. Because from what I see if I get you and your other Ryoka friends, I'll run into Ichigo again."

"You just wanna fight Itchy again, don'tcha Kenny?" Yachiru giggled, smirking at Kenpachi.

"Of course," said Kenpachi without hesitation, "Eravi. Tell me, where do you stand on all of this?"

Eravi flinched at being acknowledged and in result knocked down the shelf on his right, spilling books all over the floor.

"Uh! Heh, well, see, Captain Zaraki… I…" he began as he scrambled to pick up the books.

When he looked up, Kenpachi was watching him with a face that was anything but amused. Eravi swallowed nervously. He knew Kenpachi would not very well let him wander off to tell Captain Tosen and potentially ruin his plans to find Ichigo again for a fight.

"Uh, well… This girl saved my life," said Eravi, glancing at Orihime.

"Oh yes, I forgot that about you," laughed Kenpachi, "Your little code of honor that you follow to the tee. Not a bad thing to have a code. So what, you follow this girl around for the rest of your life? Is that it?"

Eravi laughed nervously, "It's not as complicated as that, I just won't allow anything to hurt her when able is all."

"But where do you stand?" Ikkaku demanded, "I know that I will follow Captain Zaraki. And he's helping the Ryoka. So what about you?"

Eravi looked around hopelessly. He knew he couldn't allow anyone to hurt Orihime after what she did. But he did not want to betray the Soul Society. But was it betraying if he was just following orders from a Captain?

"I guess I'm helping the Ryoka," sighed Eravi.

"You don't have to do this," Orihime said, looking up at him, "I do not expect you to become a traitor on my account, Eravi."

"It's not on your account," said Eravi, almost sadly, "It's on my code's account. I developed it a long time ago and swore that I would always follow it. No matter what."

"Well that settles it," said Kenpachi, getting to his feet with a wicked grin, "Eravi, I want you to do me a favor and go find Kaida. I haven't seen her since that Captain's meeting and I wanna know why."

Eravi opened his mouth to argue, looking at Orihime.

"Don't worry your colorless ass about the girl," said Kenpachi, "I'll be with her."

Eravi shut his mouth before he could voice that those words made him worry even more, but he supposed that nothing would hurt Orihime very easily with Kenpachi protecting her.

"Alright, I'll try to see if I can locate her," said Eravi, and turned and left from the room in a flash-step.

As he burst out into the open air again, he let out his senses to try and find Kaida. However he didn't get far before he ran down a street and came to a halt at a figure that ran around the corner. As the figure paused and looked over Eravi questioningly, raising his blade, Eravi raised up his hands.

"Wait! Lieutenant Abarai?"

Renji lowered his blade, but still was posed at the ready, "I'm not sure if I go by that title anymore."

"So, that cell didn't hold you long, did it?" Eravi asked, laughing a bit.

Renji narrowed his eyes, "Don't try to stop me, Tentzu. I don't want to hurt you. I have to save Rukia."

Eravi rubbed the back of his neck through his hood, "I'm afraid I can't try to stop you."

"What?"

"It's a really long story," sighed Eravi, "But… you're not the only one helping the Ryoka."

Renji perked a tattooed brow, "Now those would be the last words I expected from a goody-two-shoes like you, Tentzu."

Eravi shook his head helplessly, "I don't even know how it happened. Wrong place wrong time. Have you seen your sister?"

"Kaida? No. I don't want her getting involved with this," said Renji harshly, "In case this goes south, I refuse to let her get punished. But I can't just… not try to save Rukia."

"I'm trying to find her for Captain Zaraki," said Eravi.

"Well you listen to me," snapped Renji, storming forward and grabbing Eravi's robes but the neck, "Kaida is NOT getting involved! You wanna help the Ryoka? Come with me."

"But-"

"No!" shouted Renji, "I don't care if it was Kenpachi who gave you the orders, Kaida is staying out of this. I won't see her hurt. Got it?! Now come on!"

Eravi was dragged down the street by Renji, wailing in protest.

"Wait! Augh! Okay! Stop- stop dragging- OW! OKAY OKAY I'll go with you! Just let me walk on my own!"

Renji released him and snorted, "Good. On the way you can tell me how you got caught up in this mess."

Eravi followed Renji, straightening his kimono, "Where are we even going?"

Renji glanced at him, "We're going to where Ichigo is to train how to use Bankai."


	10. Trusting Beyond Reason

Kaida and Toshiro leapt across the rooftops, slowly making their way around the seireitei. Momo wasn't exactly putting off spiritual pressure, so it wasn't a cake walk trying to find her. They both figured she would try and find Gin, in which case they might be better off finding the Captain of squad three first and then wait for Momo to arrive.

"So where do you think Izuru sits in all this?" Kaida asked as they jumped to the next roof.

Toshiro replied to her without breaking stride, "I don't like to jump to conclusions without sufficient evidence, but the most probable answer is that he's working with Gin."

"Well, sure it seems that way," said Kaida, casting a smirk at him, "That is, if you're thinking inside the box like a boring stick in the mud."

"What do you mean?" asked Toshiro sharply, shooting her a glare.

"I mean, think about it!" said Kaida enthusiastically, "It's just so obvious it's Gin that it seems fishy! It'd be so dull if it turned out that it was him."

"Dull?!" Toshiro gaped at her as they kept running, "Abarai, a Captain is _dead_ and you're worried that this might turn out to not be entertaining enough for you?!"

"Well when you say it like that, of course it sounds terrible…"

"So what are you suggesting, Abarai, that someone other than Gin is behind this?" scoffed Toshiro, "Who else could it possibly be? And to what end? Gin has been acting far too suspicious to be innocent completely, so he's at least involved."

"Yeah, I thought about that," said Kaida, "But it just makes _too_ much sense that he's the killer."

"Makes too much sense? It's the logical answer!" said Toshiro, "All the evidence points to him."

"Logic is for the weak!" roared Kaida, leaping to the next building.

"Are you just arguing with the facts because they're boring to you?" said Toshiro flatly.

"…Nooooo…."

"You are, aren't you?"

"Am not!"

"Abarai, you never cease to disappoint me."

"Well you never cease to bore me! Come ON Toshiro! Imagine what an epic plot twist it would be if Gin was just like, some sort of middle man and there was secretly this other big bad guy that we NEVER expected! It'd be so cool! Oh- it could be anyone- what if it was Old Man Yamamoto?! That be SO HUGE!"

"Abarai you can't accuse the head Captain of something like that! And what did you call him?"

"I'm not accusing him! I'm just saying it be like- WHOA! Ya know?"

Toshiro glanced at her with an annoyed expression, his eyes half closed, "No, I don't know. Now will you just… stop making all those noises? At this rate, Momo will hear us coming and be able to hide."

Kaida stuck her tongue out at him, which made him roll his eyes, but she quieted.

And it seemed just in time too.

They reached a courtyard that was somewhere between the territories of squads three and four. Toshiro held up a hand to Kaida as she made to jump down into the courtyard and run across it to get to the squad three barracks. She paused and looked down to see two figures walking across the way, and her eyes widened.

"Is that?" she breathed.

Toshiro nodded grimly, then leapt down and landed directly in their path, straightening and narrowing his turquoise eyes. Kaida was a little surprised at his actions, expecting someone as dull as Toshiro to plan out this confrontation instead of charging in head on. That seemed more like something she would do. Oh well, she wasn't going to complain if it made this all the more fun.

"I figured the two of you would be together," said Toshiro, crossing his arms.

Captain Gin Inchimaru and Lieutenant Izuru Kira paused at Toshiro's appearance. Gin had his creeper smile on at full volume, but Izuru looked instantly worried. He remained behind Gin, looking almost like a scared puppy to Kaida. She jumped down and landed lightly at Toshiro's side, looking out at Gin with a big grin of her own.

"T'sup, Gin? Izuru?"

"Abarai," Toshiro growled, shooting her a glare, "You were supposed to stay up there…"

"Huh? Oh. Well you should have said something, then, Little Shiro. Then I would have just ignored you and this would be even more hilarious," Kaida ruffled his hair.

"Kaida!" Toshiro bellowed, "NOW IS NOT THE TIME!"

Kaida laughed, "I win," she smirked, and looked back at Gin and Izuru.

"Interesting," Gin drawled with his big smile, "Little Captain Hitsugaya with the Firefly he so detests. Am I so popular that I bring even the deepest enemies together?"

"You broke Lieutenant Kira out of his cell, didn't you?" Toshiro accused calmly.

Gin chuckled softly, "You speak as if you uncovered some big secret, Captain Hitsugaya. While I didn't include Firefly into the equation, I intended you to find out, so naturally a more conspicuous jailbreak was necessary."

Toshiro narrowed his eyes, a light gleaming there that Kaida had never seen. Even she had to admit, Gin was basically confirming that he killed Aizen with how he was talking. And even this vague dialog was all Toshiro needed to confirm Gin's guilt in his mind. Now he looked angry. No, Kaida had seen Toshiro angry, she made him that way constantly. This… this was absolutely livid.

"I swear I'll kill you," Toshiro vowed softly, his hand reaching back for his Zanpakuto.

But before another move could be made, a figure dropped down between the two pairs. Kaida blinked in shock as Momo stood facing toward Gin, her back to them, one hand on the hilt of her Zanpakuto.

"Momo," Toshiro breathed, eyes going wide, "Momo stop! I'll handle Gin myself, you'll only get hurt, step aside!"

Momo remained still, not facing them. Kaida felt a strange feeling bubbling in her gut.

"Momo," she stepped toward her friend, reaching out.

"Kaida, please stay out of the way," said Momo softly.

Kaida blinked in surprise at the cold, shaking tone Momo possessed.

"Momo," Toshiro began to step forward, reaching out to her.

"I'm here to kill the person who murdered Captain Aizen!" Momo burst out, her voice cracking as she unsheathed her blade.

"You can't go up against Gin, Momo," said Kaida, "I mean, no offense girl, but you-"

"I have no intention on attacking Captain Ichimaru," Momo whispered, "I- I told you," she whirled at that point, holding out her Zanpakuto, "I'm here to kill Captain Aizen's murderer!"

The tip of her blade was pointed right at Toshiro's throat.

*.*.*

Eravi had never known such a place existed. As he landed roughly by Renji's side, he looked around with his eyes wide beneath his hood. He knew for sure that they were underground, but the place had a blue sky, and mountains across a dessert like landscape. It was huge, a whole new world down here. It made no sense. There were random released Zapakuto's scattered all around in all shapes and sizes. It looked as if there had been a battle recently.

"There he is," said Renji, his tone almost dry.

Eravi looked out to see a figure rushing toward them. He was a teenager, with wild spiky orange hair and light brown eyes. He held one of the random Zanpakuto's at the ready.

"Renji?!" he yelped when he recognized the red-haired Soul Reaper.

Renji grunted and crossed his arms, "You can relax, I didn't come here to attack you again. You're not the one I want to fight anymore."

"This is Ichigo, then?" Eravi prompted.

Renji nodded.

"Then what are you here for? And who's this with you?" Ichigo demanded.

"Eravi Tentzu, third seat of squad nine under Captain Tosen," said Eravi, smiling despite himself and nodding toward Ichigo, "I- uh- I guess you could say I'm a friend of Orihime's."

"Orihime?" Ichigo's posture softened a bit, "Is she okay?"

"She's fine," said Eravi.

"We came here to train," said Renji, bringing them back to the point, "So you just keep doing what you're doing, and we're going to the other side. I needed somewhere peaceful where no one could find or bother me. Eravi just kind of got dragged into it," he cast him a look.

"Train? Train for what?" asked Ichigo.

"Are you an idiot?" spat Renji, looking back at the orange haired boy, "You're training to reach Bankai and save Rukia, right? Well that's exactly what we're here to do to. Both of us can already summon our Zanpakuto into their physical form. It won't take us long if we push ourselves."

"You're here to reach Bankai?" asked Ichigo, "So, you're going to help us, then? Help us save Rukia?"

"I'm going to save Rukia whether it involves helping you or not," said Renji bluntly, "Just understand one thing. If my sister tries to stop us, and I catch you hurting her, I will kill you, understand?"

"Your sister?" Ichigo blinked and then his eyes widened, "Oh that's right! Rukia told me the Soul Reaper with the scarf was called Kaida Abarai- she's your sister?!"

"Yes," said Renji, then pointed at a red scarf that was tied around his arm, "But she's not wearing her scarf at the moment. She left it on my arm when I was wounded… wait… what do you mean Rukia told you? You haven't been able to see her since we took her back from the world of the living."

"Right, she told me the next day I met her in the human world," said Ichigo, "I asked where the other Soul Reaper went that was with her when she gave me her powers."

Renji seemed frozen to the spot. Eravi blinked rapidly as he tried to make sense of what was just said. Wait. So. Kaida was with Rukia… when she committed the sin she was being executed for? But never told anyone?

"What did you say?" Renji breathed, "Kaida was there?!"

Ichigo didn't seem to get what the big deal was, "Yeah. The two of them showed up in my room that night and were surprised I could see them. Then Kaida went off about how there were two Hollows at once and she went off to get the other while Rukia stayed to defend my home from the closest one."

"And when Kaida returned…" Eravi said slowly.

"Yeah, by then, Rukia had been injured and offered to give her powers to me to save my family," said Ichigo, "I had just killed the Hollow when Kaida showed back up. I passed out after that, and I didn't see her again until I got here. She was part of the group that I first ran into."

Renji was shaking slightly. Eravi stepped away from him, swallowing. Shit seemed like it was about to hit the fan. He wouldn't be surprised if Renji leapt back to the surface and ran looking for his kid sister to ring her neck.

"How could she be so stupid?!" Renji finally erupted, "Didn't she realize what would happen?! Ignorant brat! I'll kick her little ass next time I see her! She could have at least told me! I'm her brother! Doesn't she trust me?!"

"She didn't tell you?" Ichigo blinked.

"Obviously not!" Renji bellowed.

"Well, shit, maybe she kept her mouth shut because you would react like this," Ichigo muttered.

"What did you say?!"

"Hey!" a new voice interrupted.

They looked up to see a female form standing atop one of the nearest mountains, looking down at them. It had been a long time since Eravi had seen her, but he would recognize that dark toned skin and pulled back black hair any day.

"Yoriuchi?" he breathed.

"You two are welcome to train somewhere down here, but Ichigo has a deadline to meet!" she snapped down at them, "Stop distracting him!"

"She's one of the Ryoka?!" yelped Eravi.

Ichigo snorted, "Then I guess you would be further surprised that Kisuke Urahara was the one who helped us get here."

"What?!"

"Come on," growled Renji, grabbing Eravi by his cloak and yanking him away, "Let's leave wonder boy here to his super training."

As they went to their own end of the strange underground wasteland, Eravi glanced at Renji.

"I'm sure Kaida had a good reason to keep her mouth shut about it," he said.

"Bullshit," hissed Renji, "I'm her brother. We've always told each other about everything. She should have told me. If she did, maybe there could have been something I could have done to prevent this."

"No, don't think like that," said Eravi sharply, "What matters is the here and now. If you focus on what you could have done, you'll just be distracted from what you can be doing."

"Words of wisdom from the Domino," sighed Renji, "Whatever. I'll deal with her later. I wanted her not to be involved at all, but if she was a witness to it when this all began, and that gets out… there won't be anything I can do to keep her out of it."

"We'll reach Bankai," said Eravi with harsh determination, "And protect her from anything they try to do."

Renji closed his eyes for a moment, "It's hard enough to worry about Rukia. But Kaida too? I kind of wish Ichigo never told me any of that."

"A lot of people say that being a Soul Reaper means to kill Hollows and protect souls from them," said Eravi, "But to me, there is far more evil out there than just Hollows. We'll defend those we care and love for from anything, no matter what, because that's what we were made to do. So come on, then, Renji. We haven't time to spare. Release your Zanpakuto, and let's get to training."

Renji nodded and crouched, "You know, Tentzu, I never really understood you, ya know? Where you come from and all that. You were already in squad nine when I graduated, but you stood out because of that weird cloak of yours."

"Call me Eravi," said Eravi as he slowly drew his Zanpakuto from his hip with one hand and grabbed the hood of his cloak with the other to slip it off over his head, "And maybe one day I'll tell you where I come from. But let's just survive this first."

As Eravi tossed his black and white cloak aside, he held his blade aloft, smirking lightly. With his face in full light, it was revealed he had rather handsome features and still looked pretty young. His hair however was the interesting part. Wild and frayed, it, like his cloak, was half white in color, and half black, the contrast split down his center hair line. His eyes' irises were a wispy white in shade but not fogged over to suggest blindness. His Kimono was sleeveless, looking as if they had been ripped away long ago, and the hilt of his blade had a white and black cloth tied about it in intertwining patterns.

"Roar! Zabimaru!" cried Renji, and his Zanpakuto released into its jagged saw like form that Eravi knew could extend out like a whip.

Eravi held out his sword straight, keeping it parallel with the ground and both hands wrapped about the hilt, "Divide and become one, Shirokuro!"

The blade of the Zanpakuto suddenly turned into a blinding white strip, while the hilt changed into an inky black shadow. The form of the black hilt wrapped around Eravi's right hand until it resembled a strange wispy glove, while the blade also broke down like flowing liquid to wreath about his left hand in the same manner. Eravi held his hands wide, one gloved in a shadowy black that gave off a strange vapor like texture, the other gloved in a brilliant white that sent off more jagged and harsh beams, almost as if it were crackling with electricity.

Renji smirked a bit, "It's been a while since I've seen Shirokuro. I've never faced it in battle myself. Is it true that you can absorb nearly any attack with the black glove and sent it back out at your opponent with the white?"

"Now it wouldn't be fun if I just told you everything it did right off the bat," said Eravi, "Come and see for yourself."

Renji shook his head, "Alright. Now remember. We're trying to reach Bankai here. So stay focused."

"Then let's get started," said Eravi smoothly, crouching, holding his gloved hands back with a grin, "I have to admit. I never thought that this would be the way I would reach Bankai."

*.*.*

"Whoa, hold on!" Kaida said as Toshiro remained frozen, eyes wide as Momo held her sword out at him, "Momo, you can't really be suggesting that Toshiro was the one who killed Aizen?"

"I didn't want to believe it," said Momo in a shaking voice, "But the note that Captain Aizen left for me… it told me everything! I know about it all, Toshiro!"

Toshiro took a step back, unsheathing his blade but keeping in a defensive position, "Momo, what are you talking about?" he demanded, but his voice was rather weak, his face tight with shock.

"Captain Aizen told me, in his note, that there was a plot," said Momo, her sword shaking slightly in her hand, "Kaida, tell me, don't you think it's strange that Rukia's execution keeps getting moved up?"

Kaida blinked slowly, looking from Toshiro to Momo, then she nodded, "Yeah, I was wondering about that…" she said.

"Well Captain Aizen also thought so," said Momo, "And he investigated until he discovered that someone was actually waiting for someone to be executed at the Sokyoku. Because it's only then that the blade that is used to kill Soul Reapers for their crimes is unsealed. This blade had the power equivalent to a million Zanpakuto's. Captain Aizen wrote that someone was waiting for the chance to steal this blade, but could only do so when it was unsealed in the event of an execution. So wh-what better chance but to use this as their way at it? Captain Aizen wrote- he- he wrote-" Momo swallowed hard in effort to keep her voice from shaking so badly, "He wrote that he was certain the one behind it knew that he was on to them. And that in case he should be killed, that I would stop them from achieving their goal. Because if they succeeded, it could mean the destruction of the seireitei! At the end of the letter, he named the person behind this plot," Momo got tears in her eyes, "That name is Toshiro Hitsugaya!"

Toshiro stared at Momo, his face completely fogged over by the shock. Kaida tried to read more from his turquoise eyes, but couldn't. Her mind was spinning. Could this be possible?

"I reread it I don't know how many times," Momo said, her voice cracking, "And there's no denying that it's Captain Aizen's hand writing. I would know it anywhere! I didn't want to believe it," tears streamed down Momo's face, her shoulders shaking, "I just don't understand why! Why, Toshiro? Why would you do this?"

Toshiro shook his head, "Momo I didn't! Someone must have forged that letter. Surely you know that?"

"I knew you would try to deny it," whispered Momo, "But Aizen wrote to me that he knew that you would most likely kill him. He told me everything so that I could stop you in his stead!"

"Momo think about what you're saying!" Toshiro snapped, "Why would Captain Aizen send you on such a hopeless task as to try and kill a Captain? He knew the extent of your abilities and he knows mine. He would have known you'd stand no chance."

"I don't know!" Momo wailed, tears gushing out more now, "I just don't know anymore!"

Kaida stared at the scene, eyes wide. In a way, that would be the biggest plot twist of all. If Toshiro had been behind it the entire time? If he and Gin were working together? That he just pretended to be after Gin like this, had Gin be extra super suspicious so that he could chase after him, and after all, who would suspect the one trying the hardest to figure out who killed Aizen? Oh it'd be juicy for sure.

But…

Kaida looked over at Gin and Izuru, both who had just been watching the scene play out. Gin was still in creeper smile stage. Izuru looked confused and shocked.

It didn't add up.

"Toshiro, please, stand down and turn yourself in!" begged Momo, "Or I'll be forced to engage!"

"Momo, think about what you're doing," said Toshiro, "You wouldn't stand a chance! Stop this!"

Kaida didn't know what to do. She felt rigid, frozen to the spot. If Momo attacked Toshiro, would he retaliate? Surely not. Momo was like his big sister, he strived to protect her from anything. Was there any possibility that Toshiro WAS the bad guy here?

Momo suddenly lunged forward, her Zanpakuto released and a fierce cry on her lips. Toshiro parried her easily, and back stepped, trying to disengage her. Kaida unsheathed her own Zanpakuto out of instinct, but once it was out and in her hand she found she had no clue what she was going to do with it. Momo continued to assault Toshiro relentlessly, but he dodged and blocked all of her moves with ease, though his face was contorted with stress regardless.

"Gin!" he cried when he finally managed to break away from Momo, keeping hovering up in the air while Momo landed roughly on the ground, trying to catch her breath, "You bastard, I know you're behind this!" he began to dive downward, rushing straight toward Gin who merely stood there with that smile on his face, waiting.

Momo seemed to find her energy at the most inopportune time. She rushed upwards, closing in to block Toshiro's charge. Kaida would assume that Toshiro's reaction was instinct. His hand lashed out and he back handed Momo hard across the face, sending her slamming into the ground where she remained unmoving. Toshiro landed, looking at his hand in complete horror, then to where Momo lay.

"Momo!" Kaida wailed, staring in shock.

"Captain Hitsugaya, how could you be so mean?" drawled Gin, smirking widely as ever.

Kaida held her Zanpakuto out at the ready, her mind still spinning. Who to trust? What to do? While a part of her was horrified at her situation, another was completely thrilled with how exciting this was getting.

"I swear I'm going to kill you, Gin," snarled Toshiro, "How dare you hurt Momo this way!"

"Do you really believe all that he's saying, Firefly?" asked Gin casually, facing toward Kaida, who faced him in turn, her blade held at the ready, "I mean really. You heard what Momo said Aizen wrote. It was his hand writing. Doesn't it make sense? The execution for your dear friend Rukia makes no sense to begin with, and yet it keeps being pushed up. Why else would this happen?"

"How should I know?" asked Kaida, "You've been acting weird ever since the Ryoka first showed up Gin, so what's your part in this?"

"My part?" Gin laughed, "I'm just having fun, is all."

Kaida snorted. That actually was probably the most truthful thing she had ever heard Gin say. So then what did this mean? Somehow, she knew that Gin wasn't behind Aizen's death, but he was definitely behind something. What was the big picture? She couldn't figure it out.

"Well? Are you going to attack me, then, Abarai?"

Kaida turned away from Gin, glancing back at the little white-haired Captain. He was glaring at her with harsh distain. Momo's motionless form lay a few feet from him. Kaida let her eyes flick back and forth between the two, her grip on her Zanpakuto tightening.

"After all, this is your chance," Toshiro growled, narrowing those turquoise eyes at her, "No one would stop you. Everyone would believe you were completely justified in doing so. It's your chance to ruin me, even try to kill me if you wanted. Isn't that what you want? What you've always wanted?!"

Kaida stood rigid for a moment. Her heart seemed to be pounding into overdrive. Never once had she ever thought that she would be faced with this situation. The opportunity to ruin Toshiro Hitsugaya, once and for all… it was sitting here, right in front of her. She could have him arrested, locked up, sentenced to execution, or even more, kill him herself here and now.

"After all, you would believe him, wouldn't you," Toshiro continued, looking past her at Gin, "You would believe anything that put me in a bad light. Even something as outlandish as this."

Kaida looked from Toshiro to Gin, straightening and letting her hold on her blade relax. Toshiro blinked in surprise. Even Gin perked a brow, though that ever present creeper smile was still on his lips.

"I'm sorry, Toshiro," she muttered, making Toshiro crouch in a defensive position, obviously believing she was going to attack him now, only apologizing that she had to do it, but then she continued, "But I'm not about to believe that you would go about such means to get power from an outside source. You've always been determined to prove that you're perfectly capable on your own, you would never accept help from anyone or anything, including a super powered blade," she glanced at Gin, "Which means that Aizen's note was forged by some bastard trying to pin the blame on someone other than himself!"

And as Kaida turned to stand beside Toshiro for the first time in her life, Toshiro let out a soft breath, "Kaida…"

She glanced at him and smirked, "I win again, Toshiro."

Kaida would have never thought something like this would ever happen, her heated rivalry with Toshiro coming to a standstill and her actually standing to help him rather than do everything in her power to bring him down. And to think, she thought dryly, the set off for this only happened three months ago. Funny. It almost felt like years. And it was all due to that stupid human, carrot-top. Her standing side by side with her oldest and most hated rival? It was just one more thing she was going to have to kill Ichigo for.

Gin chuckled a bit, "I see. I never expected you to take his side, Firefly. I guess it's up to me to stop you both now, isn't it?"

"Are you really still playing along with this crap?" sighed Kaida, "Honestly, Gin, give it up, we both know that Little Shiro here isn't the bad guy, evil doer, whatever you wanna call it."

Gin merely smirked at her as he drew his blade.

"Kaida, stay out of this," said Toshiro harshly, narrowing his eyes, "He's mine."

"That's not fair!" cried Kaida, "I take you side and then you make me just sit on the sidelines?!"

"He's a Captain, Kaida!" Toshiro snapped, looking at her with cold eyes, "You would be killed."

"You don't know what I can do!" said Kaida indignantly.

"Izuru," Toshiro snarled, ignoring Kaida all together now, "I suggest you stay put as well. Because if you get in my way, I can't promise I won't kill you on accident."

Kaida glanced at Izuru, "You can attack me, though, 'cause I'm gonna be bored stiff otherwise."

Izuru looked completely confused and helpless, almost to the extent that Kaida was beginning to think he wasn't involved in this at all. Poor chap. Still though, maybe he'd be kind enough to spar with her while she waited for Captain No Fun and Captain Rape Face to duke it out.

"Rain over the frosted heavens," Toshiro breathed, leaping up into the air, "Hyorinmaru!"

"Well holy flying platypus, he's releasing right out of the gate," muttered Kaida as the air around her dropped in temperature considerably.

She had to admit, Hyorinmaru was beautiful. But just for the pretty ice dragon monster show, she was not going to forgive Toshiro for making her sit this one out. After all, she just basically set aside their long lived rivalry to help his ass. Didn't he realize how much effort that took?! Ungrateful butt-munch.

But Gin decided to surprise them all. Instead of meeting Toshiro's attack, he instead used his strange Zanpakuto power to extend his blade, not at the little white haired Captain rushing at him from the sky, but instead right at Kaida's chest, that creeper smile full on lips, drenched in amusement.

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

_**Yaaay! We're finally at the neat little teaser scene from the beginning of the story! I'm telling you, I've been excited to get to this point, and am even more stoked to continue on. I'm hoping everyone is enjoying both Kaida and Eravi so far. I will forewarn you all that because of these two characters, there will be some major changes in some of the plot, you'll see what I mean once we reach the end of the Soul Society Arc. Thanks again for all the favorites and follows, and of course the reviews! Here's a fun fact: I own a bearded dragon named Kaida, though when I first got him, I was under the impression he was a girl. Then he grew two feet long and SURPRISE! Turns out he was a boy. However, his name is pronounced Kay-Dah while the Kaida in this story's name is pronounced Kay-eee-dah. It means little dragon, and I've always really liked the name. **_

_**ANYWAYS. Thanks again everyone. There will be some concept art of Kaida and Eravi up on my deviant art page soon (the links to which are in my profile if you haven't seen my art yet). I'll let you all know when those go up in an A/N at the end of a chapter. **_

_**Love you guys!**_

_**-Red**_


	11. Showdowns

"KAIDA!" Toshiro cried as he watched the blade rush at Kaida's heart, making him stop midair as he readied to rush down to push her to safety. But he knew even with flash step he wasn't going to make it in time. He waited to see the spray of blood.

CLANG!

Kaida's arm shook just a bit as she blocked the tip of Gin's blade with the flat of her own. She scowled as she parried it away and Gin retracted it. Her smoldering golden eyes flicked up to Toshiro and she pointed at Gin accusingly.

"He attacked me outright! You saw it! Therefore to defend my honor I must challenge him to a one on one duel! Simple as that, no getting out of it! Izuru, you saw it too, didn't you?" she looked at the Lieutenant sharply for confirmation.

"I- er- uh-" Izuru stammered, completely shocked by being addressed as such.

"See?!" Kaida looked up at Toshiro again, "It's like squad eleven law! One on one, no interfering popsicle!"

"Kaida, just get away!" Toshiro snapped, "He's toying with you, do you seriously think you stand a chance against a Captain? Stay out of the wa-"

However Toshiro couldn't continue his sentence for Gin's extendable sword was flying right at him now. Toshiro flitted to the side, dodging the attack by a hair's breadth and then glaring down at Gin.

"Enough!" he spat, and dove, using all his speed, not giving Gin time to attack anyone else.

He knew Gin was using these tactics to mess with Toshiro. Maybe a week ago he would not have cared if Kaida got hit by Gin's attack now or not. But something about working with her since the Ryoka arrived had changed his thinking of her. He found he didn't despise her as much as he once did. Found that same protective nature build inside him as he did whenever Momo was in danger also grew for Kaida now. But it was different. There was a certain heat to it. And Toshiro was not used to any form of heat.

Gin leapt up to a nearby rooftop, and Toshiro's attack smashed into the ground, ice shattering and exploding out in all directions. He saw out of the corners of his eyes that Kaida had actually rushed in and shoved Izuru out of the way, the both of them hitting the ground before they could be injured. Momo was far enough away that Toshiro wasn't worried about her. Instead, his turquoise eyes darted up to Gin and he launched forward again, a mighty roar on his lips.

Toshiro skillfully arced his chained crescent blade around while Hyorinmaru's dragon form rushed Gin head on. As expected, Gin side-stepped the frontal assault, but did not see the chain coming. Ice bloomed out over Gin's left arm, freezing it in place up to his shoulder. Toshiro felt triumph leap in his heart.

_I've got him!_

Gin, however didn't even falter his smile as he sent Shinso at Toshiro once more. Toshiro easily dodged it, scoffing slightly. It was like he wasn't even trying!

"I wouldn't dodge that one if I were you," Gin drawled.

Toshiro blinked and looked back to see the blade rushing right at Momo's motionless form.

"NO!" Toshiro bellowed.

CLANG!

Toshiro gasped when a figured flash-stepped before Momo, kneeling protectively before her, using the flat of their blade to block the piercing top of Gin's.

"Stand down Gin!" Rangiku cried, glaring up at the Captain of squad three with anger in her baby blue eyes, "Or I will also be your opponent."

Gin merely smiled at her.

"Rangiku!" gasped Kaida, and Toshiro saw why she called out. Rangiku's blade was cracking where Shinso was piercing it.

However, before more could be done, Gin's blade retracted and he back stepped swiftly, still smiling, then in a flash step, he was gone. Toshiro let out a grunt of frustration, but knew it was no use. Gin had retreated. There was no finding him now, not while he was on the run.

Toshiro resealed Hyorinmaru and landed back in the courtyard. Kaida was walking toward Rangiku and Momo, shaking her head.

"Should have let me fight him, I wouldn't have let him get away," she said.

Toshiro glared at her, "Your arrogance knows no bounds, does it?"

"Just stating facts, Little Shiro," said Kaida and looked down at Momo with a sigh, "So now what?"

"Where's Izuru?" asked Toshiro.

"Right over-" Kaida pointed to an empty spot across the courtyard, "Oop. Nope. Nevermind. Looks like he skeedaddled. Probably because of the big ice dragon that nearly killed him."

"I saw you shove him out of the way from that," said Toshiro.

"It would have hit us both if I didn't," said Kaida with a shrug, "And honestly, I don't think the poor kid has anything to do with this. Did you see the look on his face?"

"Izuru would never have anything to do with Aizen's death," said Rangiku, "He's probably just following Gin because Gin's his Captain."

"Loyal. But stupid," Kaida grinned.

"I'll call squad four," muttered Toshiro, looking down at Momo's form, "I hope she forgives me."

"She will when she understands, Captain," said Rangiku.

Toshiro nodded, "We know what Gin wants now. There's only one way to make sure that he doesn't get it. We have to stop the execution."

*.*.*

"Well?"

Renji stood before Eravi, eyes narrowed dangerously. Eravi swallowed and glanced away. He had gone up to the surface an hour ago to check on the status of everything, since he wasn't exactly 'wanted' yet. It had turned out Uryu had won his fight against Captain Kurotsuchi, but in his exhaustion been captured by Captain Tosen. Kurotsuchi hadn't exactly had time to spread the word that Eravi was a traitor. Eravi still had stayed away from anyone in his squad. He had discovered all this information from some members from squad four.

They had also told him the part that Eravi wasn't looking forward to telling Renji.

"Spit it out, Eravi!" Renji snapped.

Eravi flinched and sighed in defeat, "Rukia's execution has been moved up again."

Renji's eyes widened, "What? To when?"

Eravi shook his head and turned away, "Tomorrow."

"Then we'll just have to reach Bankai by then," said a voice to Eravi's left.

Eravi looked over to see Ichigo had paused in his training to hear Eravi's report. Yoruichi stood on a pillar nearby, her face grave.

"The process for you to reach Bankai was meant to take place over three days, Ichigo," she said, "If you try to reach it before then, I can't guarantee that your soul will withstand it."

"I don't have a choice," said Ichigo firmly, "If Rukia's life depends on it, I will reach Bankai in time to save her."

Renji stalked off, "Come on, Eravi. We have work to do," he muttered.

Eravi followed him, wondering what was going through the Lieutenant's head. Could they do it? Could they achieve Bankai in time?

*.*.*

Morning light seeped in through Kaida's window and she sat up, blinking sleep from her eyes. Toshiro had said there wasn't much they could do if they were exhausted, and it would be smart to just get some sleep for that night. Only one issue was present, however.

Rukia's execution was today.

Kaida got t her feet, pulled on her kimono, and retrieved Hotaru from the corner and strapped him across her back. She could feel his presence, and she reached out to him in her thoughts.

_Gin isn't the one to watch out for, is he?_

Hotaru's deep voice replied to her in her mind, _Even I do not know all the answers, young one, but from what I've seen, there is much under the surface of this scheme. Be wary today as you travel with Toshiro, and understand that though there is bad blood between you, he is one of the only people you can trust right now._

Kaida nodded and left her room, sighing. What was happening? The entire seireitei was in shambles, all because of this execution, the Ryoka, and Aizen's death… All because of Ichigo. Kaida really couldn't shake the feeling that he was a huge part in all of this, that if he didn't exist, perhaps none of this would have ever happened. Hell, Rukia and Kaida would have never even been sent to the world of the living because his soul wouldn't have been there to attract all those hollows.

And Kaida would still be mortal enemies with Toshiro Hitsugaya.

The one she was rushing off to meet right now, the one she was going to face this storm with, the two of them, side by side.

Ichigo. How could a human hold such power to sway the worlds of everyone and everything he touched? It was like meeting him just once would completely through your life into a new course, whether you liked it or not…

"Kaida!"

Kaida stepped into squad ten's main office where Toshiro worked and nodded to Rangiku, who had greeted her.

"T'sup, sugar boobs? Ready to go thwart evil and save the day?" she asked with a big beam.

"We're going to Central 46 to have the execution stopped," said Toshiro, who got up from behind his desk, "With the evidence we have now, and Gin outright attacking us, we can surely get them to agree to postpone it."

"Postpone?!" Kaida snapped, "We need to get them to stop it all together! And besides, I thought we were going to do something a little more exciting, like rolling up to the Soykyoku and setting off a bomb of reiatsu or something! Not go and negotiate politics…"

"This is what needs to be done," said Toshiro irritably, "We can't simply rush up there and start a battle when we don't know who Gin has behind him. Understand?"

"I still don't think Gin is the mastermind," said Kaida as the three of them left the squad ten barracks, "I'm telling you! It's too obvious! He's not even trying to hide it!"

"Kaida don't be ridiculous, just because the plot isn't juicy enough for you does not make it untrue," said Toshiro heatedly, "Now come on, we don't have time to waste."

"Listen to you, Captain!" Rangiku said cheerily as they began to run toward the Central 46 compound, "I've never heard you speak to Kaida so informally so much before! Are the two of you finally making up?"

"D-don't be ridiculous," Toshiro stammered slightly, his cheeks reddening a bit, "I just was getting sick of her saying 'I win' every time I would slip up, so calling her by her first name all the time should make her stop."

"Ooorrrr," Kaida said with a huge grin, "You're just tickled that I backed you up yesterday when I could have just tossed you to the dogs!"

Toshiro shot her a look, "I will admit I'm still surprised. I expected you to take advantage of that. So I guess it means you don't hate me after all, huh?" he actually gave her a smirk.

Kaida laughed, "Don't let it go to your head, Captain Popsicle, you're still a boring no-fun loser."

Before more could be said, a huge flash of light burst forth from the Soykyoku hill. The three of them paused in their running to look at it for a moment.

"It's starting," Kaida breathed.

"We have to hurry," said Toshiro urgently, and they flash-stepped away, rushing onward.

*.*.*

"So, do you think you're ready, Eravi?"

Eravi glanced back to see Yoruichi standing on one of the pillars, smiling at him. Renji had left earlier, telling Eravi to stay and wait for Ichigo. Renji wanted to face Byakuya alone. Had to face him alone. Eravi still wasn't sure what came of that battle, but he guessed it was finished by now.

"I don't know if 'ready' would sum up how I feel," said Eravi, adjusting his hood, "I don't know what I'm going out there to face. But I guess I made my decision. And I've never felt stronger. What about the kid? Do you think he can take on a Captain?"

Yoruichi closed her eyes, still smiling, "I've never met anyone as determined as Ichigo. If anyone can save Rukia, it's him."

"I hope you're right, because I'm just going as backup," Eravi laughed, "I couldn't face on my own Captain, Yoruichi. I couldn't. I think I would surrender before trying to harm Captain Tosen."

"But what about the Orihime?" Ichigo appeared at that moment, wearing Yoruichi's strange flying device over his shoulder, "You told me your code meant you would protect her with your life. So what happens if your Captain tries to hurt her? Huh? I need to know I can trust you, Eravi."

Eravi felt a thunderstorm of inner turmoil at his words. He honestly didn't know what he would do. His code both said to follow his Captain and protect Orihime since she saved his life so selflessly. Eravi closed his eyes and took a breath, "I've chosen my side. It's too late to go back now, I guess. I would protect Orihime, but I refuse to attack Captain Tosen. My priority would be to get her away from danger."

"I guess I can accept that," said Ichigo with a shrug, then smirked, "Ready? From what I saw, you're going to be a valuable ally."

Eravi smiled lightly, "I guess we'll find out, huh? Let's go."

*.*.*

"Oh holy hell!" Kaida wailed as she glanced over her shoulder. They were still forging their way to the compound, and there was spiritual pressure exploding like fireworks from the Soykyoku hill. Kaida recognized both, "What in the name of flying fish pudding does Ichigo think he's doing taking on Byakuya?! He's gonna get himself killed!"

She glanced over to see Toshiro eyeing her suspiciously, "You know the names of one of the Ryoka?" he asked.

Kaida flailed wildly, forgetting that Toshiro didn't know about her involvement with Ichigo and the others, in fact, only Rukia and Ikkaku (and maybe possibly Yumichika) knew about it.

"Uh! Heh heh! Well! Renji told me that one was called Ichigo, it was the same one that took Rukia's powers and the same one that defeated Renji before, so I recognize his spiritual pressure…"

Toshiro didn't look convinced.

"For realsies!" Kaida wailed.

"Whatever," Toshiro said, looking forward again as they sprinted down the next street, "I will admit he feels strong, incredibly so for a Ryoka. It appears he's holding his own against Captain Kuchiki, for now. I can sense he released his Bankai, so it won't be long now."

Kaida let out a huff, "Jerk-face… Ichigo was supposed to be my kill and Byakuya is trying to steal it…"

"You can't be serious," Rangiku laughed.

"I am!" said Kaida, "Ichigo hurt my brother, MY brother! Therefore, by default, he's my kill!"

"Kaida, for such a little thing you can be a little scary sometimes," Rangiku chuckled.

"It's true," Kaida muttered, pouting, "You know, I had the weirdest dream last night that I could sense Renji's spiritual pressure explode too! It was like he reached Bankai… Very od-"

She cut off when a huge wave of spiritual pressured rushed over all of them, enough to make them halt in their frantic running and look toward the Soykyoku.

"What the hell…" muttered Toshiro.

"Did another Captain release their Bankai?" asked Rangiku.

"That's not a Captain," Kaida breathed, "That's Ichigo. Ichigo has a Bankai!"

*.*.*

Eravi had seen Ichigo's Bankai when he first achieved it, but is still amazed him how much power it had. He had been instructed by Ichigo to stay out of the fight, and only to counter anyone who tried to follow Renji and Rukia. It was a little disappointing. Eravi had trained hard, and he had looked forward to actually testing his new skills, but he guessed this was for the better, not having to fight any of his fellow Soul Reapers. So he watched from the tree line as Ichigo and Byakuya raged against one another, but it appeared now that Ichigo had released his Bankai, Byakuya was being taken off guard. The sixth squad Captain hadn't been prepared for Ichigo's sheer speed.

However, Byakuya was slowly getting back into the swing of things, increasing his attacks to match Ichigo's speed, his own Bankai of cherry blossom like blade shreds rushing faster and faster with more ferocity, and then, when he pinned Ichigo's foot to the ground with one of his unique Bankai blades, it appeared Ichigo was done for. But then the impossible happened.

Ichigo blocked Byakuya's final blow, and when his face tilted up, half of it was consumed by what looked like a Hollow mask. Eravi stared as he felt a strange wild and explosively powerful spiritual pressure unleash. Ichigo let out a wild laugh and his wave like attack lashed out, but instead of white, it was coal black in color. Byakuya barely managed to escape it, but not without injury.

Ichigo was making to rush again, but he halted and struggled for a moment, ripping off the Hollow mask and then stood there gasping for air.

"I'm sorry about that interference," he said, "It won't happen again."

"I'm not going to ask you what just happened there," said Byakuya, "But we both can't keep this up for much longer. Let's end this in one last attack."

Eravi still got chills from how calm Byakuya always sounded about everything, even this death battle he was in.

"Fine with me," said Ichigo, crouching, "But I want to know something."

"What's that?" Byakuya asked dryly.

"Why didn't you do anything to save Rukia?" asked Ichigo, "She's your sister."

Byakuya looked him over for a moment, "Should you defeat me, I will tell answer that question," he said.

With that, Byakuya collected all of his Bankai into one magnificent blade. It was a gorgeous display, the flower pedal looking pieces all rushing in together like cherry blossoms caught on the wind. "All of my cutting power is in this," he informed Ichigo, "It is my ultimate offensive strike."

"Well while I can't do anything that pretty," said Ichigo, "All I can do is concentrate all my reiatsu into one blow. I hope it will suffice."

A huge amount of black reiatsu surrounded Ichigo, and then the two rushed at one another, their spiritual pressures colliding. Eravi was knocked clean off his feet from the force of the attack and landed hard on his back. He put his arms over his face to shield his face as a huge dust storm rolled over him. Slowly, the shaking stopped, the dust faded, and Eravi slowly sat up to see the results of the last charge.

Both of them looked pretty bad off, blood pouring from their wounds that went from their scalp line down to their shins. Eravi was trying to tell who exactly was worse off, when Byakuya spoke.

"Understand that I follow the law, no matter what sort of emotional attachment there is to it. As the head of the Kuchiki Clan, it is my duty to uphold the law, and show that everyone should do so without bias," he said flatly.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, "If I were in your place, I would fight that law and end it if it were one of my sisters in Rukia's place," he said harshly.

"I respect your views on it," said Byakuya, "This battle is yours, you've won. I will not pursue Rukia any longer."

And in a blink, he flash stepped away.

*.*.*

"It's over," Kaida muttered, looking over at the Soykyoku.

Neither Toshiro or Rangiku heard her. They were both observing the door leading into Central 46. Kaida looked back at them, "Is it still locked?" she asked cheerfully, "Because we're really getting places sitting here at a locked door."

"Oh shut up," snapped Toshiro as he pulled out his Zanpakuto and sliced it across the door in a heavy sweep.

It sliced open and fell away, leading into a dark, deserted corridor.

"A little brash, don't you think, Captain?" asked Rangiku.

"The alarms didn't sound," said Toshiro, "But we know someone's in there, because the second locks activated when I requested for entry. We can assume that someone had gone in, taken out the guards behind them, and sealed themselves in."

Kaida grinned a bit, "So I guess this IS going to be fun! Good, I was getting bored."

The three of them stepped into the building and as they made their way down, Kaida got to thinking about who it could possibly be behind all of this. She traced her thoughts back to when it all started, with her and Toshiro overhearing Gin and Aizen's conversation.

Come to think of it, how hadn't they gotten caught? Those two were Captains, surely they could sense reiatsu! She thought about Aizen's note to Momo, about how she was certain it was his handwriting that claimed Toshiro to be the culprit.

What if…

_"Be wary, Firefly, of a Captain who pretends what he is not."_

However further thought process was cut off when Kaida and the others entered the room where Central 46 made all their rulings. The stench of death was thick in the air and Kaida froze to the spot as she stared.

"No, this can't be…" Toshiro breathed.

Kaida swallowed, her mouth feeling instantly dry, "Welp. I guess this explains how Rukia's execution kept getting moved up," she rasped.

All the members of Central 46 were in their chairs, but they were slumped over and their faces agape with shock and pain. Blood was all over the tables, their robes, and the floor.

Every single one of them were dead.


	12. Bankai!

Eravi stepped forward to Ichigo's side as he began to sway. He quickly caught him by his shoulders and grinned from under his hood.

"Never thought I'd see the day Byakuya Kuchiki lost in a fight," he told him.

Ichigo smiled weakly, "It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much."

"Didn't really look easy. But… Ichigo…" Eravi helped him sit down and he knelt at his side, "What was that you did toward the end?"

Ichigo's smile faltered away and his gaze dropped, "It's a long story," he said softly, "It won't happen again. I won't let it."

"It looked like you had a Hollow mask," Eravi whispered.

"Ichigo! Eravi!"

Eravi blinked and turned at the familiar voice, his eyes widening, "Orihime!"

"Orihime?" Ichigo looked up as Orihime rushed forward. Uryu was behind her, as well as another large dark-skinned guy with a mop of dark brown hair on his head covering his eyes. He was smiling lightly. There was another Ryoka with a bandana and several bandages around his face at his side.

"You guys! You're alright!" Ichigo beamed.

"Are you okay, Ichigo?" Orihime asked as she knelt beside him, "You're hurt!"

Eravi stepped back, giving them some room. He looked at the way Orihime's eyes were shining at the sight of Ichigo. The passion there. A small smile found his lips. It made sense now why Orihime would follow Ichigo wherever he went. Eravi wasn't exactly a scholar on love or romance, in fact, every time any female flirted with him his mind would lock up and he would barely be able to respond. But it was easy to see that Orihime felt strongly for Ichigo. And it was an innocent feeling as well. Pure. It made Eravi's resolve to protect the girl all the more strong.

"I'm fine," said Ichigo, smiling lightly at her, "Did you guys see Renji and Rukia?"

"I was going to ask where Rukia was," said Uryu, adjusting his glasses, "We haven't seen them."

"Eravi," Ichigo looked up at him and Eravi blinked and faced him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm not really in any shape to be running," said Ichigo, "While Orihime heals me, could you go after Renji and Rukia and help them get back to the world of the living? I'm guessing that's the only place they'll be safe for a while."

"We can trust this guy?" asked the big Ryoka in a near monotone voice.

"Yes, of course we can!" said Orihime and smiled up at Eravi, "This is Eravi Tentzu. He's been helping us for a while now. I wondered where you went! Kenpachi sent you to find Kaida, didn't he?"

"Yes, but then I ran into her brother," said Eravi, "He refused to let me get her involved. But it turns out she's been involved since the beginning," he glanced at Ichigo.

"She was the second Soul Reaper with Rukia the night I got her powers," said Ichigo, looking to the others, "I'm not exactly sure who's side she's on though. She did let me go when we first ran into her when we showed up."

"We ran into her as well," said Uryu, looking over Ichigo thoughtfully, "She let us go, saying that whether we won or not didn't matter to her. But…" he once again adjusted his glasses, "She did promise if she saw you, Ichigo, that she would kill you."

"What?!" Ichigo wailed, "Why?! What did I do?!"

"You hurt Renji," said Eravi, looking at him, "Kaida may be his little sister, but she's extremely protective over him. It's the only time I see her serious."

"But…" Ichigo sighed, "What was I supposed to do? And I barely beat Renji, he still cut me up pretty good."

"You nearly killed him," Eravi stated flatly.

"Well that's just great," said Ichigo, "But we don't know where she stands about saving Rukia?"

"I promise that when she sees Renji helping Rukia she will too," said Eravi, "But right now, we don't even know where she is. In the meantime," he turned, "I'll go after Renji and Rukia. If Kaida does show up and try to kill you, let her know what Renji's doing. Maybe she'll let you live."

"I just beat Byakuya Kuchiki," said Ichigo indignantly, "A Captain! Who was using his Bankai! I'm pretty sure I can handle an angry little girl."

Eravi laughed and glanced back at Ichigo, "Rukia didn't tell you much about Kaida Abarai did she? She may only be a third seat, but I've always felt she was holding back. She went through the Soul Academy in one year and was placed in squad eleven by Kenpachi Zaraki himself. I don't think anyone's seen her full capability, honestly," he began to walk away, "I'll try to hurry."

And in a blink, he began to flash step away, rushing toward the faint signature of Renji's spiritual pressure.

*.*.*

"How could this have happened…?" Toshiro breathed as he stepped down the stairs.

Kaida and Rangiku followed him, both looking around at the slaughtered bodies of guards and members of Central 46. Kaida paused by the table and poked one of the bodies.

"Kaida!" Toshiro yelped at her actions.

Kaida blinked at him innocently, "I'm just seeing how long they've been dead! They're already all stiff."

Toshiro sighed heavily and went to her side and rand a finger along the blood on the table. It was dry and flaked away at his touch. He rubbed the substance between his forefinger and thumb for a moment.

"Though it pains me to say it, you were correct about one thing, Kaida, it seems the issues for Rukia's execution have been being controlled for some time," he said softly, "There's no way Gin could have done this on his own… he had to have help."

"Duh!" said Kaida, throwing her arms up into the air, "Toshiro I'm telling you, Gin's not the mastermind behind this! He's involved, sure, but there HAS to be more to it!"

"This isn't some dramatic play that relies on a thick plot, Kaida," said Toshiro sharply, "Sometimes what everyone is suspecting is what is happening."

"There's no way," said Kaida in a huff, "It's too obvious, it's so obvious to the point where it doesn't make sense. He would at least try to hide his tracks somewhere. He's luring us in, making us believe it's him."

"So then who would it be?" Rangiku asked with a perked brow, "Come on, Firefly, it sounds like you've been thinking this one through," she smirked.

"I have!" said Kaida proudly, "So Momo is certain it was Aizen's handwriting, right?" she pressed, "And Toshiro, don't you think two Captains would have noticed our spiritual presence back when we first overheard Gin and Aizen?"

"What are you saying?" scoffed Toshiro, "It's starting to sound like you think Aizen's in on this. In case you don't remember, he's dead, we're trying to figure out who killed him."

"But it feels like they lured us in to this whole thing," said Kaida intently, "Think about it! They purposely let you hear their conversation knowing that you would warn Momo because you're close to her so that when she read the note she thinks you only warned her to watch out for Gin to cover your own tracks therefore making you even more suspicious! It's the perfect plot!"

"Actually, Captain, she's kind of making sense," said Rangiku.

"Don't be absurd," said Toshiro, turning away, "It's not possible because Aizen is dead. That negates all your argument, Kaida."

Kaida pouted, shifting uncertainly, "Well it sounded good in my head… Wait! What if he's not dead?"

"You saw the body yourself!" Toshiro shouted, "Captain Unohana confirmed his death, noted that it was indeed his body, not a fake."

"But it would fit every puzzle piece!" wailed Kaida, flailing her arms.

"Kaida, stop it, you're acting like a child," said Toshiro, his brow twitching.

"I thought I'd find you here, Captain Hitsugaya."

They all turned to see Izuru standing in the doorway, glaring down at them.

"Izuru?" Kaida blinked.

"Kaida Abarai again?" his face turned uncertain once more, "I don't know how you've gotten so involved with this, but I don't have time to figure it out now."

"What about you, Lieutenant Kira?" Toshiro demanded, "What's your involvement? Where's Gin?"

Izuru turned and ran out of sight in response.

"After him!" Toshiro cried.

They rushed up the steps and out into the open air of the seireitei again, chasing after Izuru at full pelt. He was fast though, evading them as he took to the rooftops. They chased him for a good five minutes before finally gaining on him.

"What is all this about, Kira?" Toshiro bellowed after him, "Answer me!"

"I was ordered to unlock the barriers to Central 46 to allow you to enter the compound, otherwise even you would have never been able to cut through that door," Izuru said over his shoulder, "So, knowing that you were allowed to enter, think about this. Maybe instead of chasing me and asking questions, you should be more concerned about who followed you into the compound and is still there as we speak."

"What are you talking about?" Toshiro demanded.

"That barrier you put up on Momo's infirmary room was to keep people out from getting to her. But it was not designed to keep her in should she have chosen to leave on her own. It seems she's gotten quite good at hiding her spiritual pressure if you haven't felt her following you."

"Damn it!" spat Toshiro, "Rangiku…"

"I understand," said Rangiku, glancing at him, "I'll take care of him, Captain. You go."

Toshiro nodded thankfully at her and looked to Kaida, "Kaida, on me, we're going back to the compound, double time!"

"Why can't I stay with sugar boobs?" Kaida asked.

"Because I don't know what will be waiting for me and- and- I- I-" Toshiro shook himself and said the words in a rush, "I would like to have you at my side."

Kaida blinked in surprise and looked over to see him blushing brightly. She smirked a bit, "Are you saying you need my help? Are you asking for my badass assistance, is that it?"

"Just come ON!" Toshiro snapped and the two of them broke away from Rangiku and fled back toward the compound.

As they ran, Kaida glanced at Toshiro.

"What do you think will be there?" she asked, "Gin?"

"Gin and whoever he might have working for him. It seems Izuru is taking his orders," said Toshiro gravely.

"I don't think Izuru knows Gin's real intentions," said Kaida, "Something tells me he's just going off of blind loyalty to his Captain."

"Foolish," said Toshiro, shaking his head, "In any case, be ready for anything, Kaida."

"I always am!" Kaida beamed.

They reached the compound again and rushed inside, back to the room of slaughtered bodies. A quick scan of the room revealed no sign of life, so they went deeper into the compound, rushing down the corridors towards Central 46's sleeping quarters.

"I think I feel Gin's spiritual pressure," said Kaida, "And Momo's- but…" she felt her heart skip a beat, "It's faint."

"No…" breathed, Toshiro, running faster.

They rounded a corner, erupting out into the expansive living quarters for Central 46, but came to an abrupt halt when two figures stood in their path. Kaida blinked in astonishment and then pointed at the two of them and looked at Toshiro.

"I freaking told you so!" she said loudly.

"Hey, Toshiro," Aizen smiled lightly and held up a hand in greeting.

"Captain Aizen…?" Toshiro breathed.

Captain Aizen was in fact there, in the flesh, looking at each of them in mild interest. Gin was a few feet to his right, smiling the creeper smile ever so well today.

"Are you alive or is this some trick?" Toshiro demanded.

Aizen smiled lightly, "No trick. It's me, Toshiro. Excuse me a moment," he looked to Gin and murmured to him, but Kaida still picked up his words, "Gin, he's returned sooner than we expected and he has the girl with him. I hope you have an explanation."

"Sorry, sir. Izuru must not have been able to keep them occupied," said Gin smoothly, "I suppose we should have expected Firefly to be with him."

Aizen looked to Kaida, "Yes, Kaida Abarai… I didn't want her around just yet. But I suppose it can't be helped."

"I warned you she would be with him," Gin said, smiling over at Aizen, "It seems that things have turned out quite the opposite of what you predicted."

"Indeed, you're little Firefly has finally stopped being so predictable, Gin," Aizen smirked slightly.

Kaida's eye twitched, "Not gonna lie, you calling me Gin's little Firefly? Reeaaalllyyy creepilicious."

"What the hell is going on?" Toshiro demanded through grit teeth, "What are you two talking about?!"

"Oh nothing really. Just discussing the finer points of strategy. Breaking down the enemy's fighting power to be specific," Aizen replied evenly.

"What do you mean 'enemy'?" Toshiro asked sharply, "Where's Momo?!"

He suddenly froze, looking at something within one of the housing units behind Aizen and Gin. Kaida followed his gaze and let out a tight gasp. She could sense Momo's spiritual pressure over there, just barely, and could also see a figure lying on the ground in the home.

Toshiro swiftly flash-stepped past Gin and Aizen, appearing within the home. Kaida yelped in shock at being left alone with Gin and Aizen and looked from one to the other before laughing nervously.

"Uh- heh heh! Excuse me for just a tick…" she said, and then flash-stepped after Toshiro, popping into existence at his side and seeing what had his face twisted in horror.

Momo was laying on the ground, still as still could be, in a pool of her own blood. Kaida felt a chill run up the length of her spine. How could this happen? Momo loved Aizen, not in a romantic way exactly, but he was her world. How could he have done this to her?! In fact how could Aizen be like this at all? He was always the kind sweet Captain that would let you slide for skipping on patrol or give you something more worthwhile to do if you were stuck doing chores. Aizen was a good guy! Or… Kaida thought he was.

"Momo… no…"

Toshiro was shaking. His face was contorted into pure rage, fists clenched, the whites of his eyes showing all around his turquoise irises.

"Oh, they found her," said Aizen smoothly, glancing back at them, "Guess I shouldn't have left her lying there. No… I should have chopped her up into little pieces and hidden them away where you would never find her."

Kaida turned, her face twisting in disgust, "What the hell is wrong with you?" she breathed.

"Aizen…" Toshiro said, his voice tight and shaking, "Ichimaru… how long have you been working together? Did Gin help you orchestrate your fake death?"

"Gin's been with me from the very beginning," said Aizen simply, "From the moment I became Captain, there was no one better suited to be my Lieutenant."

"So this entire time…" Toshiro hissed, "You've been lying to everyone. Momo. Me. The court guard squads. All the other Soul Reapers!" he whirled to face them, eyes wide in fury, "You deceived us!"

"Well I never thought of it that way," said Aizen flatly, "It's just, it became very obvious that no one was capable of understanding. My true identity was beyond them."

"Cocky asshole," Kaida muttered, narrowing her eyes.

"My my, Firefly," said Aizen, smiling at her, "I don't think I've ever heard you curse like that. I didn't upset you, did I?"

"She's right," snarled Toshiro, glaring at Aizen with the deepest distain, "Momo looked up to you! She joined the court guard squads to be closer to you! She believed in you. She risked her life to become your Lieutenant!"

"Of course I know that," said Aizen, still smiling, "That's the quality that made her easy to control. Her blind admiration. That, and her abilities, made her the perfect candidate to be my subordinate."

Kaida clenched her fists. It was disgusting. This monster was the true Captain Aizen?! What kind of person thought like this?! She felt anger boiling up inside her.

"This is a lesson you should learn yourself, Toshiro," said Aizen calmly, smiling at the little Captain, "Admiration…" he then turned his eyes to Kaida, "Is the furthest from understanding."

Toshiro's hand whipped up to his hilt. Kaida could feel his spiritual pressure building. She flash-stepped away from him before the explosion of ice as he unsheathed his Zanpakuto, completely destroying the house. Kaida landed a few yards away, and saw Gin and Aizen also had leapt back, and both landed down in the wide clearing room, both smiling up at Toshiro.

The little Captain held his sword to the side, and in a soft, deadly voice, Kaida heard him say, "Bankai."

Kaida had heard stories of Toshiro Hitsugaya's Bankai, but had never actually seen it with her own eyes. Needless to say, it held up to her expectations. She was nearly knocked off her feet by a blast of freezing air, and when the swirling mass of ice stopped, it revealed Toshiro standing there with huge wings made of ice protruding from his back. This same ice laced his arms, and there was a massive tail lashing behind him. He announced his Bankai in a cold voice when the ice settled, "Daiguren Hyorinmaru."

"Well at least it makes him look bigger," noted Kaida, mostly to herself.

"Now, Aizen…" Toshiro said, still in the soft scary 'I'm going to eat your soul' voice, "You've talked enough. It's time for you to die."

Kaida's hand went up to the hilt of her own Zanpakuto and she began to unsheathe her blade.

"Kaida, get out of here," Toshiro said sharply, interrupting her.

Kaida paused and blinked at Toshiro, insulted, "Oh hell no, Freeze Pop! You're not taking all the glory for yourself!"

"Kaida!" Toshiro snapped, looking at her, "This isn't about glory, or who's better between the two of us. This is about life and death. These are two Captains. You don't stand a chance!"

"Chill out. Heh, get it? 'Cause you're covered in ice…" Kaida waved him off, "I'm not scared of them. Even if Gin's creeper smile makes my hair stand up sometimes. You 're not the only one with badass killer skills, Toshiro. Just wait till you see my moves, you be all like 'Ah! Whooaa! Wah!' and I'll be like, 'Yeah, I know, I'm just that awesome' and then you'll say, 'I had it wrong all this time, Kaida, you ARE the better one!' and I'll come back with, 'Duh-'"

"Kaida, please!" Toshiro cried, his voice cracking a bit, the tone changing from commanding to begging as he gazed desperately at her, "Run. Don't let your arrogance blind you!"

Kaida opened her mouth to make another amusing retort, but something about the look in Toshiro's eyes made her stop. The desperation there was so intense that it took her completely off guard. Did he really care about her safety that much? Why? They had hated each other for so long… Had her siding with him yesterday really changed so much? Or had this started before then? It was more than just Toshiro being the noble Captain and telling the lesser to get to safety, even more than if he just wanted to kill Aizen himself for revenge.

He seriously cared about Kaida.

Kaida thought back to her days in school with Toshiro. The constant struggle between the two of them to show up the other. The constant bickering, the fighting, and the training sessions. She thought back to one memory in particular. It flooded her mind's eye.

_Kaida looked out over the city, her eyes wide with wonder. _

_ "Look at this place!" she cried, "It's amazing! The lights! The sounds! I bet there's so much fun stuff to do down there!"_

_ "Shut up."_

_ Kaida's beam turned into a scowl when she turned to look at Toshiro who was scanning the city below but not in the wanderlust way Kaida was. His gaze was calculating. _

_ "We're not here on some field trip," he said coldly, not even bothering to look at her, "We have a mission. Why we were paired together is beyond me."_

_ "The instructor said that no one else could keep up with us," said Kaida, "That he paired everyone up based on similar skill level."_

_ "Exactly why I'm still lost about it," said Toshiro, "There's no way you're on par with my skills. You're just going to slow me down."_

_ "Pfft! Don't be ridiculous," Kaida scoffed, "If anything all you're careful planning and crap is going to be what slows us down! We don't have time to 'survey the area' like this is some top secret spy mission. We're here to kill Hollows! And what's the easiest way to kill Hollows?"_

_ Toshiro looked at her, "To find where they are and plan accordingly," he stated flatly, "If you would just-"_

_ "Wrong!" sang Kaida and ruffled Toshiro's hair, making him duck away with a hiss of annoyance, "Why wait to find them when you can bring them to you?"_

_ "Kaida, what are you-?" Toshiro began._

_ Kaida leapt off the building and down into the city before he could finish, but she heard him cry after her, "KAIDA!"_

_ Kaida smiled widely and rushed through the streets until she found a large open area. It was the middle of the night, so there were no humans walking about here. Perfect! Kaida clenched her fist and laughed, "Alright! Time to party!"_

_ In a huge wave of heat, Kaida released a huge amount of spiritual pressure, her golden-orange reiatsu surrounding her. It was like a huge beacon being set off. With this, she knew any Hollow nearby would be rushing toward her, expecting a delicious meal. What a surprise they'll be getting!_

_ "Kaida!"_

_ Toshiro had finally caught up and was panting, rushing to her side, "What the hell are you doing?! You're going to attract every Hollow for miles around!"_

_ "Exactly!" said Kaida with a laugh as she calmed her spiritual energy down, "Isn't that easier? They'll all come to us, and we didn't even have to do hardly any work."_

_ "You're a fool!" Toshiro spat, "Do you realize how many Hollows are here?! We were sent out in five teams of two for a reason! So we could eliminate them all simultaneously, and with minimal casualties! Now every single one of them is heading here, and there's only two of us in this area!"_

_ "Are you saying you can't handle it, Toshiro?" asked Kaida with a smirk as she unsheathed her blade._

_ "I'm saying that we're going to be outnumbered!"_

_ "Even in numbers, a weakling is a weakling still," said Kaida, grinning._

_ "Son of a- ugh. It doesn't matter now, it's too late," said Toshiro, turning at the sound of a Hollow's roar, "Just stay out of my way, Kaida. I'll clean up your mess."_

_ "Psha!" Kaida laughed, "Don't be ridiculous. I don't even need your help for small fry like this!" she held out her blade, gripping the hilt with both hands, "Soar! Hotaru!"_

_ "Rain over the frosted heavens! Hyorinmaru!" _

_ As both of their Zanpakuto's released, the Hollows came. There must have been at least twenty rushing in, and more behind them. But Kaida was grinning confidently._

_ Small fry._

_ They clashed, and at first, it seemed that things were going to go easy like Kaida said. However, things couldn't go very easy when the two fighting together weren't really fighting together at all._

_ "Get out of the way, you nearly got hit with my attack!" Toshiro said irritably._

_ "Stop stealing my kills then!" Kaida snapped back but in her rage she didn't see the Hollow rushing at her side. _

_ Pain laced her as the Hollow clamped down its powerful jaws on her small frame and shook her violently. _

_ "Wah, shit!" Kaida cursed, "I'm not your squeaky toy! Soar, Hotaru!"_

_ She lashed out her whip like string of fireflies and it latched around the Hollow's neck, the heat of their touch melting it's flesh on contact. The Hollow wailed in agony, its jaws parting to allow Kaida's freedom. She landed heavily on the ground and yanked hard on her hilt, ripping the head clean off the Hollow in the process. But her wounds were grave and she could not find the strength to stand up._

_ She also took note as to how even while she was practically being eaten, Toshiro had not stopped to help her. He was still battling the other swarming Hollows, without even glancing at her. Kaida knew Toshiro was far to observant to not notice her injuries._

_ "Hey, thanks for the help, Toshiro!" she said angrily, "But don't worry, I got it! I'll just drown the Hollows coming at me in my blood, I'm sure that will work."_

_ Toshiro downed another Hollow and glanced at her with coldness in his eyes, "It's your own fault you're injured, idiot," he said flatly, "You let your arrogance blind you. At this point, you would deserve to have one of the Hollows eat you."_

_ Kaida blinked in astonishment at his remark. They had been rivals, sure, but Kaida had never really wished death on Toshiro. Was he really going to let her die here?_

_ "But it wouldn't look very good on my record if I had a comrade in arms die on my patrol," said Toshiro and in the same instant, the icy serpent of Hyorinmaru rushed in and froze a Hollow solid that been about to pounce on Kaida, "So just lay there and stay out of the way while I fix this."_

That day, Toshiro had defended her only because he had to. For image. He would have had no problem letting her die otherwise. Kaida knew it. But now… Now Toshiro was defending her because he wanted to. Because he cared. Kaida wasn't sure why, but instead of being disgusted like she normally would be at the fact that Toshiro Hitsugaya was actually starting to become her actual friend, she was… glad. As she looked at the desperation in his eyes now, she realized that the fact that he wanted her to run even though he was outnumbered for her own safety made something stir inside her. A warmth that she could not get from Hotaru. A new kind of fire she had never felt before.

Kaida smirked a bit, closing her eyes and bowing her head. This entire time, Gin and Aizen were both watching silently, each smiling with curiosity.

"Toshiro…" Kaida said, and opened her eyes again to meet the little Captain's gaze. He was staring at her in surprise, most likely due to her tone, which she had done her best to sound comforting, "I'm going to let you in on a little secret."

Toshiro blinked at her, "What are you talking about?" he asked softly.

Kaida slowly unsheathed her Zanpakuto, twirled it once and then held it aloft, the blade parallel to the ground, her free hand hanging to her side casually, "Let me show you why I let my arrogance blind me."

Slowly, spiritual pressure built up around her. Kaida smirked, the grip on her hilt tightening. She had looked forward to the day she would get to see Toshiro's face when she did this. Of course, it wasn't under the circumstances she had pictured. In her imagination, she had always seen herself using this on Toshiro himself. She tilted her head to the side and smiled lightly, a pressure building up so strongly around her it pushed up her hair, revealing both her eyes which glowed a vivid orange-gold. Then, in the most casual voice, as if she were stating what her favorite flavor of yogurt was, (which was strawberry banana, by the way,) Kaida spoke a single word before she was engulfed in flames from her Zanpakuto's blade.

"Bankai."


	13. Defeat

Toshiro gaped.

There was no way this was happening.

Kaida Abarai had a Bankai?!

When the hell did this happen?! How had he not known about it?! The power radiating from her now made his eyes widen with pure shock. The spiritual pressure she was exerting was equal to that of a Captain. A CAPTAIN! All this time, when Kaida showed no fear of her superiors, when she constantly teased and boasted and was her usual smart ass self- she could back it up. Easily. How long had she had this up her sleeve? Since Toshiro became Captain? Since before? All the times Kaida said she could easily become a Captain but just didn't want to… She had been right.

She had been _absolutely_ right.

Toshiro raised an ice coated arm to block the wave of heat coming from her as the tornado of flames roared around her small body. Even through the fire, though, Toshiro could see that big snarky grin. Kaida was loving every minute of this, he knew it.

Finally, the flames died down, whipping aside to reveal Kaida's form in full view. Toshiro stared, turquoise eyes wider than he ever thought they would be.

It was beautiful.

Huge detailed wings made of strands of fire laced up from either side of Kaida, the shape they took resembling a monarch butterfly, the lines of fire tracing the patterns along their form. Kaida's hair as well seemed to be ablaze, but not burning as if caught by the flame. It was like her hair was made of fire, standing on end and revealing both her eyes, nearly all of her young face. Kaida now held her sword in both hands but it had transformed drastically. Now it resembled a massive dual bladed weapon, the hilt in the middle and two huge curling blades made of pure glowing fiery light extending from each end. Toshiro figured if that blade was standing on end vertically it would be at least two feet taller than Kaida herself.

"Kajiarashi Hotaru," said Kaida proudly, beaming and shifting her huge new weapon to one hand and holding it behind her back at an angle, "I know. It's awesome."

"K-Kaida!" Toshiro stammered, hardly able to even concept what was before him, "How long have you had a Bankai?!"

"Not important!" Kaida sang and turned to face Aizen and Gin, who had both been watching unflinchingly at Kaida's display, "What needs to happen now is good old fashion justice! What do you think, guys? Weren't expecting little Firefly to have this up her sleeve, huh?" she puffed out her chest.

Aizen chuckled softly, "I was wondering if you were going to use it," he said evenly, "I wasn't certain if you wanted to show it in front of Toshiro even with the circumstances. But seeing as you've been so unpredictable with siding with him, I guessed at this point that you would."

"Huh?!" Kaida pouted at him, "What?! Nuh uh you're bluffing, there's no WAY you knew about my Bankai! The only one that does know about it is Ikkaku! And I guess Yumichika by default, but seriously!"

Aizen smirked at her, "I will inform you that you needn't worry, they kept your secret. I didn't find out through them," he glanced over at Gin.

"Wha-?!" Kaida's head snapped around to look at Gin, eyes wide, "How- how the hell do YOU know about it?!"

"Let's see," Gin's smile lengthened, "You achieved this feat about a month before Toshiro Hitsugaya became Captain, did you not?"

Toshiro stared, astounded. That meant that Kaida got to Bankai before him! How was this possible?!

"You've been SPYING on me!" cried Kaida, pointing her massive dual bladed weapon at him, "That's so freaking creepy! Why have you been spying on me?!"

Gin chuckled, "I didn't mean to offend you, Firefly, it's just that your abilities always fascinated me. You never know when those kind of things can come in handy."

"Uh!" Kaida shuddered, "That's it! Toshiro, you can have Aizen, but Captain Creeper is all mine, got it?!"

Toshiro stared. His mind was still struggling to catch up with all of this. Kaida having a Bankai, having one since before him! She had always acted so confident around him but he always assumed it was to make up for the fact that she knew he was stronger since he had a Bankai and was Captain. He guessed she was jealous. That she always went on about her not being a Captain just because she didn't want to because she was really infuriated that she couldn't.

All this time…

But it didn't matter right now.

Toshiro found his resolve again and he gripped his blade tight in his hands. Kaida was right, they had to end this.

Aizen had to pay for what he did to Momo. For what he had done to all of them! Deceiving them, lying to them, betrayal of the upmost kind!

"Alright," said Toshiro, turning his cold stare to Aizen, "This ends here."

He rushed in, using his upmost speed and in a blink he was in front of Aizen, who blinked in astonishment. Toshiro swiftly ran his blade through him, twisting the hilt as he did so, and an explosion of ice erupted from his hands, freezing Aizen's entire form in a small glacier. Toshiro felt triumph hit him. He had done it. Aizen had underestimated him. He had let his arrogance be the death of him!

But then, through the ice, Toshiro saw Aizen smirk at him.

"What?" Toshiro breathed as the ice crumbled, and Aizen was not there at all.

And then he felt lash of pain slice across his entire torso. Toshiro let out a tight gasp as blood erupted from the wound, spraying out like a fountain, drenching him.

"Toshiro?" he heard Kaida's voice from somewhere to his right. He managed to look at her as strength was leaving his body. He saw her turn to face him, having not charged Gin just yet, and her eyes widened in horror at the sight of him.

"TOSHIRO!" she screamed in a cracking desperate voice, and he saw her rush toward him, her wings spreading aloft in a huge storm of fire.

She reached him in time to catch him as he fell in her free arm. The heat from her Bankai was smoldering, but it lessened as she got close to him. He saw through blurred vision her face taught with grief as she gazed down at him.

Toshiro opened his mouth and managed to wheeze a single word before his world turned to black.

"Run."

*.*.*

Toshiro went limp in her arm, the light fading from his eyes. Kaida felt a strange numbness fog over her mind.

No.

It couldn't be.

Toshiro couldn't be dead! There was no way he could have been defeated so easily! What the hell just happened?!

"Toshiro…" breathed Kaida, "Toshiro, come on, stop messing around…" she saw a droplet of water hit Toshiro's cheek and blinked at it for a moment before realizing it was one of her tears. "Toshiro," she shook him, "Toshiro stop being a butt munch, get up…!" she pulled his limp form tight to her chest, felt her body shudder a sob out, "Toshiro!"

"Very interesting indeed…" Aizen's voice drawled, "Gin, you were quite right, I wasn't expecting this at all."

Kaida turned her head around to see Aizen and Gin both smiling at her. The ice that had been laid out around them by Toshiro's Bankai was melting rapidly in the presence of Hotaru. Kaida didn't like that. Because Toshiro never let Hotaru melt Hyorinmaru's ice like this. It meant that… that he…

"Do you realize what you've done?" Kaida breathed as she very carefully set Toshiro down and then stood, turning to face them, her wings held aloft, "I won't… I won't…" she was shaking, Kaida felt her body trembling in grief and rage, "I won't forgive you for this!" she cried, and held out her weapon.

"My, I've never seen her so angry," said Gin, "You better be careful Aizen, she might burn you."

Aizen smirked.

"No more…" Kaida hissed, and her reiatsu exploded out around her in a fiery golden orange, "NO MORE!"

She rushed in, holding back her huge blade, fire exploding out all around her, her wings beating furiously as she rushed in to Aizen. He watched her unflinchingly, that smile still on his face. Kaida swiped viciously, but gasped when her blade passed right through Aizen, as if he were made of smoke. As his form disappeared, Kaida felt something approaching her right. She turned just in time, raising Hotaru to block, but to her surprise, he was far too fast for her. Pain ripped through her as Aizen's blade slashed hard across the length of her body. Blood exploded out of her, and Kaida gasped in tight agony, falling to her knees and staring in horror at her wound. Her wings died around her, falling like ashes to the ground, her hair fell back into place, covering her left eye, and her blade returned to his sealed state before falling from her weak hand.

"My, Aizen, did you have to be so harsh?" Gin asked with a laugh.

"Don't worry, Gin," said Aizen as Kaida fell on her front, her world spinning.

She heard the two of them retreating and just before she blacked out, she heard Aizen speak one more time.

"I held back so as not to kill her. After all you may be right. Her abilities could prove useful in the future."

*.*.*

"Renji! Renji wait, it's me! STOP IT'S ME ERAVI!"

Renji came to a halt and looked back, much to Eravi's relief. He panted when he reached them and once he caught his breath he straightened up and smiled, "Alright! I'm glad I found you!"

"What's going on, is Ichigo okay?" Renji asked.

He was holding Rukia in his arms protectively, and the girl looked from Eravi to Renji with wide eyes.

"Yes," said Eravi, "Byakuya backed off once he defeated him. He promised not to chase Rukia anymore. But that doesn't protect us from the other Soul Reapers. Let's get to the world of the living, quickly."

"Right," said Renji, "We'll have to reach a gate, and I can't very well fight with her in my arms."

"I told you I can walk," said Rukia irritably.

"And I told you that you're still weak and we'll go faster this way!" Renji snapped back.

"I'll deal with anyone we come across," said Eravi, "Now let-"

Before another word left his lips the world around them suddenly changed. Eravi blinked and looked around in shock, "Huh? But wait, we're…"

Ichigo and his friends were gone. But they were definitely back on Soykyoku Hill.

"What the hell is going on?!" Renji demanded, looking around wildly.

"I don't know," said Eravi, eyes wide, "How did we even get back here?"

"I suggest the both of you put the girl down and step aside."

Eravi looked around, eyes wide.

Sosuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru stood before him, both smiling. Eravi blinked several times, trying to see if his eyes were tricking him.

"Captain Aizen?!" he breathed, "You- you're alive!"

"Indeed," Aizen grinned at him, "Eravi Tentzu. I had wondered where you had gone in all this. I must admit, it was not what I expected, to see you working with the Ryoka."

"I'm sorry sir, but it's a long story," said Eravi, glancing at Renji and Rukia, "But sir, I must ask, what do you want with Rukia?"

"The obvious answer would be that I wished to sentence out her scheduled execution," said Aizen smoothly, making Renji clutch Rukia tighter to his chest, "But even that is not the true answer. Now step aside."

"I'm not letting her go," snapped Renji.

"And I am regrettably on his side, sir," sighed Eravi, readying his stance. He had not planned on having to fight a Captain.

"Tentzu."

Eravi gasped and turned, He instantly felt his guard drop, "Captain Tosen!"

Tosen stopped at Gin's side, facing toward Eravi with a grave face, "Tentzu, this is an order. Step aside and come here."

"Sir, I… I…" Eravi looked at Renji who shot him a glare.

How could this be happening?! He couldn't face his own Captain, he couldn't! And Orihime wasn't here to solidify his reasoning to follow his code. What could he do? All his training, all his preparation, his resolve, all to just crumble here and now at the sight of Tosen.

"Tentzu?" Tosen prompted.

"I…" Eravi shut his eyes tightly.

"Attention in the seireitei! Attention in the seireitei!"

Eravi looked up, eyes wide.

"That's Lieutenant Isane of squad four," said Renji.

"An announcement?" breathed Eravi, "For what?"

"As grim as the following may be, I assure you that it is the truth," the female voice continued, "Please be aware that we have traitors in our midst. Captain Sosuke Aizen, who was believed to be murdered, has betrayed us all and faked his own death for misdeeds that are not all known yet. Be advised that he has Captains Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen working with him. They are guilty of the murder of the entire staff of Central 46, and the mortal injuries of Lieutenant Momo Hinamori, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya, and third seat of squad eleven Kaida Abarai."

"What?!" Renji roared.

"Kaida…" breathed Rukia, her eyes wide with horror.

Eravi felt his world sway. Captain Tosen? A traitor?! He was involved with this somehow? But why?! How could he do this when all Tosen even wanted was peace? He hated violence, detested it! How was this possible?!

"Captain," Eravi breathed, staring at him, "Is this true?"

Tosen just faced him, not speaking a word.

"Kaname has been with me since the beginning," said Aizen simply, "You, Renji, Momo and Izuru were all handpicked actually. Renji, however, proved to be too rash and so he never quite turned out, but you three were the perfect candidates to be our subordinates. I will admit, I did not foresee you betraying your Captain and siding with the Ryoka."

"You shut your mouth!" Eravi bellowed, gripping the hilt of his blade, "Don't you dare call me the traitor here! How could you hurt your own Lieutenant?!"

"I specifically trained her to not be able to survive without me," said Aizen softly, "I was actually committing an act of mercy by killing her. The plan was that Toshiro was meant to be the one to kill her when I left my note naming him my murderer. But since that didn't work out, I had no choice. It was for her own good."

"You fucking bastard," Renji rasped, his entire body shaking, "And my sister? What did she do to deserve being hurt? Huh?!"

"I did not strike to kill her," said Aizen, smirking, "I may have need of her in the future."

"You son of a bitch," Renji muttered, rage set deep in his eyes, "There's no way I'm letting you touch Rukia, and no way I'm letting you get away with this!"

"I see," said Aizen, "Then I guess you leave me no choice."

Ichimaru reached to the hilt of his blade, but Aizen held up a hand, "That won't be necessary, Gin. I will handle this myself."

Eravi crouched, unsheathing his sword as Aizen began to approach.

"Back off," he spat, "I'm warning you, Aizen!" he reached up and pulled off his cloak in a swift motion, tossing it to the side.

"You say you won't let her go," drawled Aizen as he unsheathed his own Zanpakuto, grinning at them, "Very well. I will respect your wishes. She can remain in your arms. But the arms are coming off."

Eravi held his blade up, gripping it in both hands before removing one and clapping it back hard against the hilt. "Enough of this madness," he breathed, "Bankai!"

Black and white erupted from his blade much like how his Shikai transformed, but instead of just engulfing his hands, they raced up the entirety of his body, surrounding him in a swirling typhoon of black and white reiatsu. Slowly, it came back down revealing Eravi beneath. In each hand he held a massive thick width blade, one made of the wispy black material, the other of the shining white. He gripped their hilts with hands linked to arms covered in the same substance retrospectively.

"Genjitsu Shirokuro!" cried Eravi, narrowing his eyes.

Aizen paused, staring over Eravi's new form with a slight smirk.

"A Bankai? You have been busy, Eravi… Very interesting."

"Stand down, Aizen!" snapped Eravi.

"It's fascinating, that you act so confident just because you have achieved Bankai," said Aizen, "Even when you are facing against three Captains who can also reach that level."

Eravi swallowed. He kind of had a point. But he couldn't simply back down. It wasn't about the Ryoka anymore. These three men were traitors to the seireitei in ways that were unforgivable. Killing all of Central 46… potentially killing Momo, Kaida, and Captain Hitsugaya… and one of them was his own Captain that he had put so much trust in. The betrayal in his heart was enough to make him not care about his chances.

"The announcement just went all over the seireitei," said Eravi, "Don't you think that the other Captains are on their way here? You're plans end here, Aizen. You go no further!"

"Is that so?" Aizen chuckled, "You know? Kaname, why don't you take care of your third seat for me."

Eravi let out a tight gasp as he turned to look at Tosen. Tosen faced him and frowned.

"Very well, sir."

"Captain…" Eravi breathed.

Too late. Tosen unsheathed his blade and rushed forward, his face expressionless. Eravi felt himself steel over inside. This man… had been his Captain. He had trusted him. Had confided in him. Had done everything he could to serve him. He believed in his ideals, his goals.

All for what?!

Eravi swung up his black blade and caught Tosen's Zanpakuto on it. He felt the power of the blow rush through his body. Instantly, Eravi swung the white blade at Tosen, Shirokuro's power now boosted from the Captain's own attack. Tosen jumped back, but not in time to avoid injury. A cut formed across his chest, and Tosen gasped a little in pain.

Meanwhile, Eravi saw Aizen approaching Renji. Eravi whirled, anger boiling in him to intercept, but Tosen rushed him again. Eravi turned and swiped up his black blade, leaving a streak of the substance behind. He heard Tosen gasp as he fell right into it, as if devoured by it. Eravi had to do it swiftly, still not used to this technique. He swiped his white blade, leaving a streak like the black one had, and Tosen erupted out of it, landing hard on the ground.

Tosen rolled over, scowling up at Eravi, "What did you do?" he demanded.

"I took a good portion of your spiritual energy," said Eravi, "Shirokuro has three main abilities. Absorbing is one, I can take nearly any attack with my black blade and add it's power to my own. Expelling is another, when I use the absorbed power and erupt it out of my white blade."

Before he could say more, Tosen got to his feet and shook his head, "Eravi, I don't truly wish to hurt you, but you're leaving me no choice."

"Wh-" Eravi began.

"Bankai."

Oh shit.

Eravi froze as darkness suddenly surrounded him. He felt everything shut off, his hearing, his sight, his sense of feel. Everything stopped. It was like he was enveloped into a smoothing black blanket in which he could perceive nothing outside of.

But then Eravi grinned a bit.

Now it was time to test the true power of his Bankai. He had to do it fast before Tosen had the chance to attack.

Eravi raised his blades and then clashed them together. Though he could not see it, he knew that their color was bleeding into one another, becoming a fog of grey. He took a deep breath and let out a burst of spiritual pressure, and ripped apart the blades, making them return to their black and white forms.

Around him, the dome of Tosen's Bankai shattered.

"Wh-what?!" he heard Tosen gasp.

Eravi blinked as light returned and he grinned at his Captain, holding his white de out toward him.

"That was Genjitsu Shirokuro's true power," said Eravi, "I can take any illusion no matter what form it takes and bring it back to reality, make it easy to discern as black and white. Your Bankai will not work on me, Captain."

"Very interesting indeed," Aizen's voice drawled.

Eravi turned and blinked in surprise, "Huh- Ichigo?! When the hell did you get here?"

Ichigo was laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Renji lay limply a few yards away from him. And Aizen stood further still, holding Rukia by her collar. Eravi blinked. How long had he been in Tosen's Bankai? It had felt like seconds.

"Well, I wasn't expecting any sort of power like that from you, Eravi," said Aizen, smirking lightly, "That could have come in handy had I known about it. In any case. It will not help you now. You see, your part, and the Ryoka's part in all this, is over. They created the perfect diversion did they not? I knew that they would try to enter through the West Rukon district, and therefore had security there increased. Even sending Gin to the gate himself in case anything went amiss. With them forced to used Kukaku Shiba's way of entrance, it was flashy enough to capture the attention of all the seireitei. With their diversion, it was easy to fake my own death. No one suspected a thing."

"Wait how would you know we would enter through the West Rukon district?" rasped Ichigo.

"Interesting that you should ask that. Isn't it obvious?" Aizen asked, "The West Rukon district is Kisuke Urahara's base of operations… oh.. I see. You poor boy, you weren't told anything were you?" Aizen chuckled and began to walk forward, dragging Rukia along with him, "Did you know there are four types of fighting styles to Soul Reapers? But there are limits to each of them. Even someone incredibly skilled can only go so far before they've mastered it and can go no further. However… I made a discovery to allow any one being to push beyond those limits. But there's only one way."

Aizen paused before Ichigo, smiling down at him.

"The Soul Reaper has to become a Hollow."

Eravi stared. His mind flashed back to Ichigo's fight with Byakuya. The mask that began to form on his face…

Was it possible?

"Either that, or a Hollow must become like a Soul Reaper," said Aizen, "Either way, there has be a way to remove the barrier between the two opposing existences. The idea was possible to me, so I began to study it in secret. I began testing. Mainly the ability to change Hollows into Soul Reapers. I came close. I created Hollows that could mask their spiritual pressure, some that could even destroy Zanpakuto with a touch, and even fuse with other Soul Reapers. But… in the end, none of them worked out as well as I'd hoped."

"You're sick," breathed Eravi, gripping his blade hilts, but not daring to attack when Aizen had hold of Rukia.

"Am I?" Aizen smirked toward him, "Well I will let you know that I was not the one who succeeded in my plans. No, not at all. Kisuke Urahara was the one to succeed where I failed. The substance he created broke down the wall between Hollow and Soul Reaper. It defied all logic in the Soul Society. It's called Hogyoku. I knew instantly how dangerous it was. I believe Kisuke did as well, for he tried to destroy it. However he could find no way to undo he own creation. Instead, he reluctantly resorted to another method. He created a shield around it, masking it from anyone who would wish to use it for evil."

Aizen turned back to look at Rukia, gazing down at her through his spectacles, "You know, don't you? You know that's why I want you. Because the place Kisuke decided to hide the Hogyuku… is inside you."

"What?" Eravi hissed, eyes widening.

He had been around when Kisuke Urahara had been exiled. He remembered the terrible fate of the eight individuals that had been turned into Hollows, one of which had been his Captain before Tosen.

It was piecing together. It had been Aizen that had made those eight like that, not Kisuke. And Tosen and Ichimaru… they had been helping him all along.

"The Gigai that Kisuke gave you was created without reiatsu," said Aizen, "Therefore it was untraceable by the Soul Society. Also, however, it lacked the healing qualities to return your powers. Instead, it did quite the opposite. It reduced you into a human. So you see now, Rukia? Kisuke used you. He used to hide the very monstrosity he created."

However, before more could be said, a massive form landed behind Aizen. Eravi blinked in shock as he looked up to see Captain Sajin Komamura swinging his blade down with mighty force, bellowing, "AIZEN!"

CLANG!

Eravi blinked in shock when Aizen lifted an arm and blocked the blade like it was nothing. But even as he watched, Aizen glanced back, "Gin." Was all he said and then his eyes flicked to Eravi.

Eravi blinked by before he could move something erupted from his gut. Blinking in shock as pain began to spread, he looked down at the tip of the Zanpakuto protruding from his stomach. Shakily, he looked back to see Gin had extended his blade from where he stood, smiling lightly at him. When the blade was removed, Eravi fell to his knees, his Bankai evaporating around him, and then collapsed to the ground, muttering, "Damn…" and his world vanished around him.


	14. Moving Forward

Kaida lay still, wondering to herself, am I alive? She was aware of something soft beneath her, and shifted slightly, and then pain hit her body like a truck.

Yup. Definitely alive.

Kaida propped herself on her elbow, slowly opening her eyes and blinking around her. She recognized this place. It was squad four's barracks. She had been here several times before. Thanks to Kenpachi…

"You're awake," whispered a voice.

Kaida turned to see Lieutenant Isane smiling at her and walking her way.

"Yeah…" Kaida frowned, then her eyes got big, "Wait! Where the hell is Aizen?!"

"Sh!" Isane waved her hands, "I was trying to be quiet so as not to wake him," she nodded to Kaida's right.

Kaida turned to see a surprising sight. Slumped over sleeping in a chair beside Kaida's bed was Toshiro. He was bandaged up and not even in his Captain's robes. Kaida felt a small spark of joy at the sight of him nonetheless. Toshiro was alive! She had been certain Aizen had killed him.

"Since he can't leave the barracks just yet, he's been either here or with Lieutenant Hinamori in the other room," said Isane softly, "I think he felt responsible for both of your injuries."

"He shouldn't, the dumbass," muttered Kaida, "It was Aizen's fault, not his."

She stared at Toshiro's sleeping form for a moment, incredibly shocked that he would bother waiting at her bedside at all.

Had so much really changed?

She remembered the tears and rage she felt when she thought he was dead. It was fascinating what happened. In a way, Toshiro looked kind of adorable sleeping. But Kaida slowly smirked. Even if their rivalry had subsided… she couldn't resist.

"Good morning, Toshirooooo!" she wailed and pounced out of bed on him, knocking the chair over, the two of them rolling across the floor.

"Ah! Third Seat Abarai!" Isane gasped.

"What- what the hell!" Toshiro was awake now, and shoved Kaida off of him, "What the hell was that for, Kaida?!"

Kaida landed hard on the ground and yelped in pain, but was laughing at the same time, "Oh- ouch- it hurts so bad, but so worth it. So worth it…"

"You're still injured, you idiot!" Toshiro snapped, "What do you think you're doing!"

"So worth it…" Kaida repeated in a rasp.

"I swear one would think you would have changed a little after a near death experience…" Toshiro muttered as he got to his feet, wincing a little.

"Are you alright, Captain Hitsugaya?" Isane asked.

"I'm fine, thank you," said Toshiro briskly and looked down at Kaida as Isane came and helped her up, "I suppose you will want to know what happened."

"Duh," Kaida said as Isane helped her back into her bed, "Thanks, Isane," she smiled at her.

"Just, please refrain from doing that again," Isane sighed.

"Aizen turned out to be after an invention of Kisuke Urahara's called the Hogyoku," said Toshiro, sitting his chair back up and sitting back down.

Toshiro swiftly told her the entire story, of Aizen's entire plot to create Hollow Soul Reapers, and to basically go beyond the limitations of an ordinary Soul Reaper. How Kisuke had hidden the Hogyoku inside Rukia's Gigai. Something that Kaida was going to have to yell at him for. And how Aizen had retrieved it from her and escaped to Hueco Muendo with his fellow traitors, Gin and Captain Tosen. Rukia was okay, and now recovering from her ordeal properly, she was also no longer charged with execution, and the Ryoka were now considered heroes. In fact, no one had actually gotten killed in the entire ordeal. The only ones that got close were herself, Toshiro, Momo, Renji, Eravi, and Ichigo.

"So… that's it then?" muttered Kaida, frowning, "He got away?"

"Yes," said Toshiro, glaring at the ground, "But next time, I can assure you that we will be prepared for him. That was not the last we've seen of Aizen. And, Kaida," his gaze went up, "I knew you been hiding something when you returned without Rukia three months ago."

Kaida grinned sheepishly, "Cat's out of the bag, huh?"

Toshiro smirked a bit at her, "You could say that. Though there won't be any punishment. With everything that's happened, the head Captain is deciding to let you slide. You're quite lucky, Kaida."

Kaida laughed sheepishly, "Yeah, well, seems that way considering I'm alive."

"By the way, perhaps you should hear this now before you hear it from someone else," said Toshiro, leaning back in his chair, "Renji and Eravi both achieved Bankai during this ordeal."

"Wait WHAT?!" gasped Kaida.

"I don't see why you should be so surprised. Renji had far more reason to be surprised when I told him you achieved Bankai long ago and had kept it secret," said Toshiro, closing his eyes.

"YOU TOLD RENJI?!" wailed Kaida, "Why would you DO that?!"

Toshiro opened one eye, his face irritated, "Why wouldn't I? Achieving Bankai isn't something you should keep secret, Kaida. Now we know that you're far more capable and can go on higher class missions. That will come in handy with Aizen looming in the darkness."

Kaida slumped back in her bed, "Toshiro, you idiot, I kept it a secret for a reason!"

"Yes, I know," said Toshiro, glancing at her, "But with the loss of three Captains, I didn't have much of a choice."

"What are you saying?" Kaida demanded.

Toshiro got to his feet and began to leave the room, "Get well soon, Kaida." Was all he said before he vanished.

*.*.*

The next week Kaida was released from squad four's barracks. As soon as she was freed, she only had one mission. She swiftly made her way back to squad eleven's barracks. Eyes narrowed, walking with direct purpose, she opened the door to the lounge area and spotted him.

"ICHIGO KUROSAKI!"

"Eh?" Ichigo blinked and turned. He was sitting on the edge of the room watching a few members sparring. When he saw Kaida his eyes got wide, "Oh, Kaida, you're all bet-"

WAM!

Ichigo went flying across the room, slamming into the far wall. He fell to the floor and groaned in pain before sitting up, face twisted in anger, "What the hell was THAT for?!" he demanded.

"I'm only going to tell you this ONCE Ichigo!" Kaida snapped, storming over to him and making him wince at her approach, raising an arm defensively, "No one, AND I MEAN NO ONE, hurts my big brother! GOT IT?!"

"I didn't have a choice he attacked me-" began Ichigo.

WAM!

"Augh, WHY?!" Ichigo wailed as he picked himself off the floor again from a few yards away, "Jeez, I just got better, you don't need to give me more injuries!"

"No one!" Kaida repeated, crossing her arms as she loomed over him, "I'm only going let you slide this one time because Renji forgave you, but if I ever catch you hurting him ever again, I will kill you, Ichigo!"

"Alright, alright!" Ichigo muttered, sitting up and rubbing his head, "Just stop hitting me!"

"Hmph," Kaida folded her arms and stepped away from him, "Stupid strawberry."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!" Ichigo demanded.

"That's what your name means, doesn't it?" Kaida asked.

"Does not!" Ichigo cried, "Well, in some dialect, yes, but-"

Kaida let out a laugh.

"Pah! Alright, and what does Kaida mean? Little shit?" Ichigo demanded.

"It means little dragon, actually, which is hell of a lot better than strawberry!" laughed Kaida.

"I suppose your name kind of goes with your Bankai, then, from what I've heard of it."

Kaida's laugh cut off and she turned, beaming, "Renji!" she pounced at him, making to latch onto his torso in a hug.

Renji caught her by the back of her kimono before she could and just glared at her before setting her on her feet.

"Renji-?" Kaida began.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Renji demanded.

Kaida flinched, "Uh- which part?" she asked sheepishly.

"All of it!" bellowed Renji, "Being there when Rukia gave up her powers! Having a Bankai!"

"Uh, well…" Kaida shifted uncomfortably, "Rukia made me promise not to tell you about her giving her powers to strawberry over there."

"So what?!" snapped Renji, "You should have told me! I'm your brother! Rukia and I practically raised you together!"

"I figured Kisuke would take care of her," muttered Kaida.

"Alright, fine, then what about the Bankai?" growled Renji, "Captain Hitsugaya said that you've known how to do it since before he was a Captain! Why didn't you tell anyone?!"

"Actually, she did tell someone," muttered Ikkaku, sitting a few feet away, "My guess would be she refrained from telling you because she didn't want you to feel bad."

"Ikkaku, you knew?" Ichigo gasped.

Ikkaku leaned back, closing his eyes, "I was there when she achieved it the first time."

"And that's the only reason he knows!" said Kaida defensively.

"So, are there any other secrets I should know about?" Renji snarled, looking back at Kaida, "Hm?"

"Uh, not that I can think of at the moment, no."

"Good," Renji snapped, glaring at her with a deep anger for a moment longer before it melted away and he grabbed her, pulling her into a tight hug, "I was so damned worried about you, you little shit."

Kaida gasped at the sudden hug attack but then smiled a bit and hugged him back, "I told you I'm not a kid, you don't have to worry about me," she muttered.

"Well tough luck, I'm going to anyway," said Renji as he stepped back from her, "You're not the only one with a Bankai anymore."

"Toshiro told me," said Kaida, grinning a bit, "I heard Zabimaru is quite the badass giant snake monster."

Renji grinned a bit smugly, "Yes well, I still need to practice some with it. It takes some getting used to."

Kaida beamed, "We can spar together, Renji! Bankai on Bankai! It'll be fun!"

"So it's true then."

Kaida winced and turned to see Kenpachi step into the room. He looked Kaida over with his one visible eye narrowed.

"Hitsugaya gave me the report and I didn't want to believe him that you'd been holding out on me, Kaida. You're tellin' me you've had this Bankai all this time?" he asked roughly.

"Eh- maybe?" Kaida gave him a huge smile.

Kenpachi chuckled softly, "Well then, Kaida. I'm going to have to see you when you're fully recovered to test your Bankai for myself."

"Wait what?" Kaida's eye twitched.

"You heard me," said Kenpachi, crossing his arms and grinning wickedly, "We've sparred before and I was always under the impression you were giving it your all, but now that I know you've been holding back I need to reassess where your skills are. Not to mention it could be really fun."

"But- Kenpachi-" Kaida began, laughing nervously.

"Weren't you just saying sparring with your brother would be fun? So why wouldn't it be with me?" Kenpachi leaned down to her level, smirking.

Kaida's eye twitched again, "Well- it might be a while before I'm up to my full strength again," she said in a tiny voice.

"You're right!" Kenpachi straightened and looked over, "Ichigo! You're wounds are healed, right?"

"Uh, yeah?" Ichigo looked over, perking a brow.

"Then let's fight!" roared Kenpachi, unsheathing his battered blade.

"What?! NO! No way!" Ichigo wailed and ran out through door and into the street.

Kenpachi smashed through the window after him, "Come on, Ichigo, FIGHT ME!"

"I'm not fighting you again!" Ichigo cried back as the two disappeared into the distance.

"Looks like Captain Zaraki is still determined to make you into his little clone," said Renji, glancing at Kaida, "Even though he doesn't even know the name of his Zanpakuto."

"Yeah, he confuses me sometimes," sighed Kaida, leaning back against the wall.

"So," Renji turned to face Kaida full on, frowning down at her, "Is it true about how powerful Aizen is? I mean, I know he took me out easily, but I was already weak from my fight with Captain Kuchiki. But… the story is he demolished both you and Captain Hitsugaya in one hit each."

"It's true, as much as I hate to admit it," muttered Kaida, pouting a bit, crossing her arms, "I was told that it turns out his Zanpakuto can actually cause complete hypnosis."

"Yeah, that's how he faked his death," said Renji.

"And Gin and Kaname joined him…" sighed Kaida, "Losing three Captains in one sweep… how long had they been planning this I wonder? How long have they been major pricks? All along?"

"I don't know," admitted Renji, "But squad five is under the most strain. They lost their Captain and their Lieutenant is in urgent care."

"Yeah," Kaida shook her head, "How's Eravi doing by the way?"

"He recovered before you," said Renji, "All he had to deal with was Ichimaru, not Aizen himself, but he was caught by complete surprise. He's back in squad nine helping Shuhei get things settled."

"And Izuru?" asked Kaida.

"He had nothing to do with the main plot that Aizen was scheming," said Renji, "He's trying to run squad three right now. He had been lied to by Ichimaru, manipulated. Everything is in chaos."

"Where's Toshiro?" Kaida asked, "He's well enough to be sitting at his desk doing boring paper work already, huh?"

Renji looked down at her with a bland expression, "You're still going to pull that? From what I heard, the two of you have put that stupid rivalry aside."

"Huh?!" Kaida gasped, mocking outrage, "Who would ever tell you such a thing?"

"Rangiku."

"That gossip."

"In any case, you sided with him when Momo tried to attack him from Aizen's note," Renji said, "She said from then on, the two of you worked together, and weren't bickering nearly as much."

"Yeah, well," Kaida shrugged, "He's not as much of a loser as I originally believed."

Renji smirked a bit and ruffled her hair before taking the red scarf from his arm and holding it out to her, "Well, it might well help pulling together in times like these. Best to put that old grudge with him aside now, because we all need each other for what's coming. At least that's my guess."

Kaida took the scarf in her arm and looked at it before taking it on the end and making a clean straight rip right down the middle long ways, making two thinner ribbons.

"Ah! What are you doing?" Renji cried.

Kaida snatched his hand and wound one of the ribbons around and around it then tied it off and patted the back of his knuckles.

"Because just like you once wanted me to have a reminder that you would always watch over me, I want you to have a reminder that I will always be there for you," said Kaida, grinning up at him, "I won't let anything ever hurt you again, Renji."

"Kaida," grumbled Renji, turning red and glancing around, "I don't need coddling, I'm the big brother here."

"Tough muffins!" said Kaida and took her half of the scarf and was about to wrap it around her neck and part of her face like normal, but for some reason, her mind supplied a curious memory.

The memory of Toshiro's eyes when he saw her without her scarf. Of when he saw her Bankai, and her face was in full view.

Kaida took the ribbon and carefully tied it about her head, using it to pull the majority of her hair from her face, though a few wild strands still found their way down. Kaida grinned up at her brother.

"We'll make a pact, bro," she said firmly, "I'll keep you from getting hurt and you keep me from getting hurt, but let's vow to fight so damn hard we don't need each other to help unless it's the most dire of all tricky situations. 'Kay?"

Renji smirked, "Alright. You got it."

*.*.*

Kaida strode down the street, her hands laced behind her head. Ichigo and his human friends had returned to the world of the living about a week ago. Things had calmed down somewhat in the seireitei. No one knew what Aizen's next move was yet. However, it was safe to assume it was going to be a while yet before he showed his douche bag face again. Kaida remembered vividly of how easily he cut her down.

She also remembered him saying he didn't kill her because he might have use for her later.

Creepilicious, Kaida thought with a slight shiver.

A Zanpakuto that could cause complete hypnosis? That could mean any number of things! But he couldn't possibly have complete control over someone's mind otherwise he would have just had all the Soul Reapers kill themselves or something…

Right…?

Right?!

Kaida sighed. The whole Aizen thing had shaken her up. She had never been so close to death. But a few good things had come from it.

"Kaida."

Kaida turned, perking a brow and froze to the spot when she saw Kenpachi coming her way. She still hadn't taken him up on his sparring match proposal yet, and had no intention to now. She would probably just end up right back in squad four. Bankai or not, Kenpachi was a beast. From the stories, she heard he took on Kaname and Sajin with both their Bankai's out and didn't even break a sweat. Yeah. No. No thanks.

But Kenpachi wasn't grinning his 'I'm going to cut you into ribbons and laugh the entire freaking time' grin. He looked serious. He paused when he reached Kaida, frowning down at her. They both stared at one another for a moment. Kaida was getting slight willies from him just staring at her like that. And then-

"Hiya Firefly!"

Kaida nearly fell over when Yachiru burst up from Kenpachi's shoulder, beaming hugely, her pink hair fluttering.

"T'sup Yachiru?" Kaida breathed, still catching her breath.

"Didja tell her yet, Kenny?" Yachiru asked.

Kenpachi glanced at her, "You've been here the whole time, you know I haven't told her yet."

"So tell her!" Yachiru grinned.

Kenpachi sighed and then looked back at Kaida, "Listen up, Kaida, I didn't want to be the one to tell ya this. Frankly, it pisses me off."

"Tell me what?" Kaida asked, tilting her head.

"It looks like the Head Captain is determined to fill the empty Captain slots as soon as possible," Kenpachi said, crossing his arms, "Don't know how that gives him the right to reach in and pluck my third seat from my squad, but hell. Apparently I don't get a say, if your skills match up."

"Wait, what?!" Kaida wailed, taking a step back, "What- wait- Kenpachi! Please for the love of all that is sane, tell me you're not telling me what you're telling me!"

"That barely made any sense," laughed a voice.

Kaida turned to see Eravi Tentzu heading down the street, his white and black cloak billowing out behind him, his thumbs tucked into the cloth strap wrapped around his middle.

"Domino!" Kaida and Yachiru both said in unison.

Eravi chuckled and waved lightly, "Yeah, I just got the news too, Kaida. Looks like since we're the only ones that can achieve Bankai and aren't in a fixed Lieutenant slot like your brother, it turns out it's our 'responsibility' to step up."

"This is dumb!" Kaida pouted, crossing her arms, "I knew that if word got out about my Bankai this would happen. It's why I never told anyone."

"You can still say no, can't cha?" asked Yachiru cheerfully, "Then you can stay in squad eleven with us!"

Kaida pondered for a moment. Yes, she was fairly certain that it was possible to refuse a promotion. However… she knew that Old Man Yamamoto had a point. They had to fill those Captain positions. The squads were in chaos. Especially squad five. So that annoying little conscience that she sometimes had poked its head up and prodded her hard in the side. It was true. Eravi and her were the only ones able to do it. Even if they refused, it would be constant nagging, possibly even demotions in repercussions.

"You're gonna take it, ain't cha?" asked Kenpachi gruffly, "I can see that look in your face. Like you see a destination, and you're gonna do whatever it takes to get there."

Kaida sighed heavily, "I don't think there is a real choice here, Kenpachi. They'll say there's one, but reality disagrees. I have to take it. So do you, Eravi," she glanced at him, "At least you can stay with your squad."

"Not sure how they'll take to calling me a Captain," muttered Eravi, frowning thoughtfully, "But I have always been close to Shuhei."

"The evaluation will be in the next day or two," said Kenpachi, turning.

"Kenpachi," Kaida called to him as he began to walk away.

He glanced back, those bells tied in his hair ringing.

"Thanks," Kaida grinned at him.

"For what?" Kenpachi asked roughly.

"Everything."

Kenpachi smirked a bit, "Ya only got yourself to thank, kid. And even if you do become a Captain, don't think that get's you out of training with me."

"Of course it wouldn't," sighed Kaida, hanging her head in defeat.

Yachiru giggled, "This'll be fun! I wanna see your Bankai soon, Kaida!"

Kaida grinned lightly at her, giving a thumbs up before they left her sight.

"Your Captain doesn't seem too pleased," said Eravi.

Kaida looked over at him, "I think Kenpachi has always wanted an heir to his throne of Captain of squad eleven. My guess is he wanted it to be me."

"What about his Lieutenant?" asked Eravi.

Kaida laughed, "Yahciru? Nah, she wouldn't be his heir. See, I can't see Kenpachi going anywhere without her. And she follows him no matter where he goes. So it's simple, if he ever goes, so will she. And he knows it."

"Suppose that makes sense," Eravi leaned against the wall, "See, what I'm trying to figure out… even though Head Captain Yamamoto knows about our Bankais, there still had to be another Captain to recommend us to him. So, it obviously wasn't my Captain who recommended me considering he's off playing with Menos Grade," he said this part with slight venom in his voice, but calmed afterward, "And I highly doubt Captain Zaraki was the one to recommend you after that display."

"Honestly, I can see any of the Captains recommending you, Eravi, you're perfect Captain material, always had been," said Kaida, crossing her arms, "But me? Heh. I'm irresponsible, terrible at Kido, don't listen to rules or protocol, constantly disrespect titles to everyone… I don't think anyone would recommend me. Even though my way of doing things is freaking awesome fun," she laughed.

Eravi chuckled, "I can think of someone who would do it," he said before flash-stepping away.

*.*.*

Kaida sat on the plush pillow, head in her hands, elbows propped on the knees of her crossed legs. Across from her were Head Captain Yamamoto, Captain Shunsui Kyoraku, Captain Jushiro Ukitaki, and Captain Sajin Komamura.

"Third Seat of squad eleven, Kaida Abarai," said Old Man Yamamoto in his deep most formal voice, "After your evaluation and testing your skills, myself and the three Captains present have come together and decided that there is no fault in your abilities or personality that could prohibit you from being a Captain."

"Really? Personality too? Kinda surprised on that one, figured someone would have at least one complaint…" Kaida muttered.

"Actually, your boldness is quite a valuable quality in that of a Captain," said Jushiro, smiling lightly at her, pushing some white hair from his face, "Shunsui and I decided that your bravery and quick thinking in battle will be an excellent asset."

"Yeah, so shut your trap and don't push it," said Shunsui with an amused smirk.

"I hereby promote you to Captain of squad three," said Yamamoto swiftly, "Congratulations, Captain Abarai."

"Wait, squad three?" Kaida blinked, "Er- no- no offense, Yama, but, squad five is missing both their Captain and their Lieutenant, wouldn't it… maybe… be wiser to give me to them?"

"I can understand your point of view, Captain Abarai, however, squad five will under my personal eye for now. We do not know how far Aizen's influence spread through the ranks," said Yamamoto, "Now, go and get on your new uniform, and be ready in an hour for a Captain's meeting in which you and new Captain Tentzu will be formally introduced to the other Captains."

"Uh, yeah okay," Kaida said, getting to her feet and saluting good naturedly, "So, I just- go to… squad three's barracks…?"

"No, not there. Here, I'll accompany you," said Jushiro with a good natured grin, "I remember when I was first promoted, it can be quite flustering."

"Thanks," Kaida laughed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I might as well tag along," Shunsui stood, "Anything else to add, Sajin?" he glanced at the great dog like Captain.

Sajin shrugged, "Her abilities are amazing, that cannot be denied, but keep in mind that a Captain's duties extend beyond just having a Bankai. Keep a cool and sharp mind, Captain Abarai. If you're ever in need of advice, we are here."

"Hurry up now," said Yamamoto sharply.

The three of them left and Kaida sighed heavily. She would have to move all her stuff to squad three's barracks… squad three. Squad three! How had she ended up being their Captain?! If she recalled correctly, their flower symbol, the marigold, meant despair, and basically meant that they detested fighting. That they tried to avoid it at all cost, but when they had to, they did everything necessary to end it swiftly and efficiently. Kaida. Was. From. Squad. Eleven. Not sure what part of that Yamamoto missed. But she wasn't exactly… afraid of fighting. Or despairing over it. Or whatever.

She loved fighting. Lived for it.

Yeah, Kenpachi had rubbed off her quite a bit it seemed.

But, she supposed since it would be easier to let Eravi become Captain of squad nine since he was already part of them, and because Yamamoto wanted to keep an eye on squad five, three was the only squad to give Kaida.

Captain…

It was such a weird feeling. Kaida had done so much to avoid this. But here she was… she guessed that there wasn't much for it. The one upside to this was going to be rubbing it in Toshiro's face. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she showed up to the Captain's meeting.

In fact. No one but Yamamoto and the three Captains that tested her, and Kenpachi, she supposed, knew she had been promoted. She grinned a bit at the thought of the looks on their faces when she walked in.

She just hoped she wouldn't have to touch paper work. Ever.

"You're awfully quiet," said Shunsui, smirking down at her as they walked, "Very unlike you, Kaida."

"Sorry," Kaida laughed, "Just thinking. It's kind of surreal, ya know? All of this. Aizen, and me becoming a Captain… somehow it doesn't feel real yet."

"Yes, quite a lot has happened this past month," said Jushiro, "But for me the weirdest part is not seeing you and Captain Hitsugaya yelling at each other every time you're together."

Kaida shrugged. It was true, her and Toshiro's old heated rivalry no longer had the venom in it. Their teasing to each other held a new tune, much more good natured, more light. Kaida wasn't sure if she liked admitting that the little white haired Captain was her friend now.

"I suppose that even something as terrible as what Aizen did can cause some good things to happen," said Shunsui, "Like old enemies becoming friends to face it."

"Here we are," Jushiro paused outside a building and headed inside. It was the building where the Soul Reapers got their kimonos. It turned out there was a special section toward the back for Captains.

A few workers went to Kaida and took her measurements.

"With or without sleeves?" one asked.

"Uh," Kaida shrugged, "Without," she decided.

"Same fashion as Captain Zaraki, eh?" asked Shunsui.

"He's a huge part of why I'm even here," said Kaida.

It didn't take them long to make the robe. Kaida stared at the squad three symbol on the back for a moment. It was here that she fully put her days in squad eleven behind her. It was depressing, actually. Kaida loved that squad. Ikkaku and Yumichika, her hilarious pink haired Lieutenant Yahciru, and her fight crazed Captain Kenpachi. But that conscience reared its head again and she sighed, pulling it on over her kimono.

"Well, look at that," Shunsui said with an amused grin, "When I first saw Toshiro's Captain's robes, I never thought I would see any smaller than that."

"Shut up, I'm not that much shorter than him!" Kaida grumbled.

"We better get back," said Jushiro, "They'll be starting that Captain's meeting soon."

"You two go ahead, I have to check something," said Kaida.

"Don't be late," said Shunsui with a grin, "I can't imagine Old Man Yamamoto would be too pleased."

"Eh, might as well get used to it now," laughed Kaida.

Jushiro and Shunsui left and Kaida went up onto the roofs. She stood up there for a long moment.

_Hotaru?_

She reached her mind out to her Zanpakuto, closing her eyes.

_I am here, Firefly._

Kaida smiled lightly at the familiar voice.

_Can I do this?_ She asked.

_I will be with you the whole way, Firefly. So long as you keep true to yourself, you will become a great Captain._

_ I never wanted to be a Captain._

_ What you want and what is destined hardly ever sync up perfectly. You must keep on, no matter the circumstances. Burn through the storm, Firefly. _

Kaida took a deep breath.

_Alright. Can do._

And with that she leapt off the building and rushed back toward the squad one barracks.

Naturally, she was the last one to show up. Eravi was waiting outside the doors, shifting foot to foot. He looked extremely odd without his usual cloak. Kaida had forgotten that his hair was black and white as well. He had the squad nine Captain's coat on, with sleeves. He glanced back and grinned.

"There you are. I was too nervous to go in on my own," he admitted softly.

"'Cause you might run into something?" Kaida smirked.

"I'd say you can't talk that way to a Captain, but seeing as you're one now too, that won't work."

"Like it would have worked if I wasn't," laughed Kaida, "Where's your cloak?"

"Figured for my first appearance I should leave it off. Feels weird though. Pretty sure I'll wear it over this from here on out," said Eravi.

"Fair enough, I mean, Shunsui wears his pink coat over his," said Kaida with a shrug, "Shall we?" she nodded to the door.

"Guess so," sighed Eravi and turned, opening the doors.

The other Captains were all already there, lined up in their normal fashion. Kaida and Eravi stepped inside, Eravi looking almost rigid and formal, Kaida with her hands laced behind her head and a big grin on her face. In addition to the Captains, Lieutenants Shuhei Hisagi and Izuru Kira were here, looking wary.

"May I introduce you to the new Captains of squads nine and three," said Old Man Yamamoto at the head of the room, "Captain Eravi Tentzu will be taking over squad nine, while Captain Kaida Abarai will be taking squad three. Myself and Captains Komamura, Kyoraku, and Ukitaki have all evaluated their abilities and have determined that they shall be promoted without further hesitation."

"Are you kidding me...?" muttered Soifon, the Captain of squad two, "That little brat was made a Captain…?"

"Interesting," muttered Mayuri, Captain of squad twelve, "I expected Tentzu, but the girl…?"

Eravi shot a sharp look at Mayuri. Kaida frowned at this. She knew that he and Mayuri always had a weird sort of tension between the two of them. She was always curious as to how it started.

"Excellent choices," said Retsu Unohana, Captain of squad four, smiling lightly, "Both of their abilities should assist in their own unique ways."

"If you say so," grunted Soifon.

Kaida spotted Toshiro and saw to her surprise he didn't look the least bit surprised. Not even angry. In fact he was just staring ahead blandly.

"Well, at least ya pull off the Captain's coat well, kid."

Kaida looked over to Kenpachi on the other side of her. She grinned, "Thanks, Kenpachi," she said.

"K-Kaida Abarai?" that was Izuru.

Kaida turned to see him staring at her with his one visible eye huge. She waved at him, grinning, "T'sup Izuru?"

"Heh, Eravi, suppose I should have guessed," said Shuhei, smirking a bit.

Kaida looked back at Toshiro again. This time, he was looking her over carefully. Kaida crossed her arms.

"Surprised, Little Shiro?" she prompted with a grin.

Toshiro grunted and closed his eyes, "Hardly."

"Huh?" Kaida pouted, "Not even a little?"

"Of course he wouldn't be, who do you think gave me the recommendation to promote you?" asked Yamamoto.

"Wait WHAT?!" Kaida wailed, eyes wide as she looked at Toshiro.

He did not open his eyes to meet her gaze, "You and Eravi Tentzu were the obvious choices," he said simply.

"Would either of you like to speak?" prompted Yamamoto.

Kaida tried to recover. Yeah, her and Toshiro had gotten past their rivalry for the most part, but for him to recommend her for the Captain's position? He constantly noted how irresponsible she was, how she was so far from Captain material it was ridiculous. So then why did he do it?! She looked at Eravi and gestured for him to speak first, not able to find her voice at that moment.

Eravi nodded and faced the Captains again, "I understand that we have been through extremely trying times with Aizen's betrayal. But I promise I will do my best to keep squad nine together and become a great asset to the court guard squads so we can take Aizen and his cohorts down the next time he shows his face. I respected Kaname Tosen a lot. And I think I speak for all of us when I say that his betrayal was completely unexpected. It did not fit his ideals or morals, the ones he taught me, and the ones that I will continue to teach in squad nine. However, I vow that I will never go against my own morals like he did. Squad nine will reform and be strong again."

"Very good," said Yamamoto briskly, "Captain Abarai? Do you have anything to say?"

Kaida looked up.

Captain Abarai.

Yeah, alright, she supposed she could get used to that.

"Well," she laced her hands behind her head again, "All I can say is this is gonna be fun," she smirked, "That's what I can promise."


	15. Captain's Duties

Kaida strode down the hall, her hands behind her head, humming lightly to herself. Izuru glanced at her, a brow perked.

"You're not nervous, Captain?" he asked.

Kaida looked at him, "That is so weird hearing you call me that," she laughed, "And nah, why would I be? I mean, I've met some of squad three before… granted… a lot of them hate me… but…" she shrugged and kept humming, smiling.

Izuru sighed, "I suppose it will be an… interesting change… with someone like you to lead our squad. But I want you to understand that a lot of the squad members uphold to our traditions."

"Yeah, the whole 'despair' thing, thou shall not battle, boring stuff," sighed Kaida, "And I get it. Buuuuut… don't expect me to uphold by them, it really isn't my style. If it were up to me I'd still be in squad eleven."

"Captain…" Izuru frowned at her.

"What?" Kaida laughed, "It's true! Alright, sheesh, I'll try to be boring for your sake, Izuru. After all, you're my Lieutenant now… man that's really weird."

Izuru sighed, "I'll admit, I never thought I'd be calling one of my old friend's kid sister my Captain… no offense."

"Non taken," Kaida waved him off as they paused at the door leading into the meeting room for squad three, "So, ready?" she grinned at him.

"I suppose," said Izuru, "I'll go first. Wait here for a moment, Captain."

Kaida shrugged again as Izuru stepped into the door. She watched him walk in and stand before the chattering squad members. They all hushed at the sight of him, looking his way.

"So, where's our new Captain, Lieutenant Kira?" prompted one.

"I figured I would come and introduce her," said Izuru with a nervous smile.

"'Her', huh?" repeated another, "Not sure how long it's been since we had a female Captain."

Izuru glanced toward the door and then back at the crowd, "Alright. Please welcome our new Captain, Kaida Abarai."

"Oh, is that my cue?" asked Kaida and then stepped into the room, grinning widely at the rows of shocked faces looking at her, "T'sup everyone? How's squad three feelin' today?"

"Wait what?!" demanded a man in the front, "Her?! But she's from squad eleven!"

"I understand that," said Izuru, "However, the Head Captain is the one who decided to assign her to our squad, so I believe we can trust in his judgment and in Kaida's- er- that is, Captain Abarai's abilities."

"Does she even have a Bankai? She's just a kid!" shouted another.

Kaida sighed as an uproar started, all demanded answers and sounding outraged to get a punk kid for a Captain. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but really? Was it so hard to believe she was actually strong?

"Alright," Kaida unsheathed her sword and held it out.

"C-Captain!" Izuru stammered, "What are you doing?"

The entire room hushed at her brandishing her weapon. Kaida grinned at them all, "They wanna see my Bankai, Izuru! So, why not?"

"Are you sure that's wise?" Izuru asked warily.

Kaida glanced at him, "Might as well shut up the rumors now," she said with a shrug and then held out her blade in one hand, smirking wickedly, "Bankai."

Fire launched forth and spun around her. There were cries of shock and fear. Kaida relished in the heat of the inferno that surrounded her for a moment until it whipped away, revealing her beautifully patterned butterfly-like wings hanging up off her shoulder blades, and her massive dual bladed weapon in her hands. She hefted it to one hand and stood it on its end to show them how tall it was, nearly two feet taller than herself. She grinned out at them, seeing their awed faces. They were speechless.

"There ya have it!" Kaida said cheerfully, "Kajiarashi Hotaru! Pretty sweet, I know. Oh, you look like you're all sweating, here," she closed her eyes and took a breath, and her wings fell like ashes around her, her weapon's blades igniting and flaming wildly for a moment before reforming into her normal sealed form. She sheathed it across her back again and looked around at the scorch marks she had left on the ground and walls. She frowned, "Woops. Well I'll have that cleaned later," she grinned sheepishly at the crowd again.

Izuru sighed heavily, but then looked back at the squad members, "Now is not the time for such negativity. As you can see, Ka- Er- Captain Abarai has great skill despite her age, much like Captain Hitsugaya. We should feel lucky to have been given such a gifted Soul Reaper as our Captain."

"Thanks, Izuru," said Kaida, smiling at him, "But I don't need you to back me up so much," she looked out at the crowd, "Truth be told, I could give a porcupine's ass what you all think of me."

They all blinked and gasped lightly in shock at her words, murmuring to one another.

"That's right!" laughed Kaida, "As far as I'm concerned, I'm here to lead squad three to awesomeness, whether you like me or not really isn't important so long as you don't do anything to hurt squad three. If we become friends in the long run, sweet! But if not, no biggie," she shrugged, "I can promise you one thing," she grinned, "I don't plan on anyone in my squad getting hurt. So you know what that means. Ya gotta know how to fight well enough to the point where nothing can hurt you! So while I know you guys are big on avoiding battle at all cost, think of it this way. The better you are at battle, the faster you'll be able to end it. So, do we have an accord?" she placed her hands on her hips and smiled widely at all of them.

They all muttered again, but for the most part it sounded like reluctant agreement.

"Sweetness!" sang Kaida, clapping her hands together, "Alright! Well, for tonight, rest up. But tomorrow, be prepared to be right back into regular duties and then some!" she turned on her heel and walked out of the room as casually as possible with her hands behind her head again.

Like a damned badass.

Izuru spoke some words of comfort or something to the other squad members. Kaida was paying enough attention to hear exactly what. And then he followed after her.

"Well, that went a little bit better than I expected," he said.

"Izuru! Did you doubt me?" laughed Kaida, "I'm Kaida Firefly Abarai! _Captain_ Kaida Firefly Abarai now. So of course I nailed it. Perfecto! I'm just that awesome."

"I just…" Izuru sighed, "After Ichimaru… you understand why the men are wary."

"Good thing I don't have such a creeper rape face, then," said Kaida, "A little innocent looking girl is perfect then!"

"Innocent looking? Not sure about that, Captain, your smile gives the impression that you're excited about cutting someone to bits…"

"Funny, I think the same thing every time I see Kenpachi smile…"

"My point exactly."

"Heh," Kaida grinned over at him, "I think we're gonna have a blast, Izuru! Hey, I wonder how Domino's initiation with his squad went? I'm sure well, since he was already in squad nine."

"You can ask him tomorrow, I'm sure," said Izuru.

"Suppose I can," Kaida grinned wickedly, "I can do whatever I want tomorrow! I'm the Captain so I get to decide all of it! Why didn't I do this before?"

"Probably because there's actually a ton of stuff you'll have to do tomorrow since you're our Captain, like some paperwork and organizing the squad for what you want them to be doing for the day," Izuru said.

"That… sounds so boring," Kaida pouted, "Ugh… Well I suppose there's not much to do about it…"

"You could have refused the promotion," said Izuru.

Kaida smirked a bit, "Yeah I guess I could have, but… I thought that it was kind of my responsibility, you know?"

Izuru gaped at her, "Never thought I would ever see you as the responsible type, Kai- er… Captain."

"Eh, you can call me Kaida when it's just us, Izuru," said Kaida, waving him off, "This Captain business still feels pretty weird."

Izuru gave her a small smile, "For what it's worth, Kaida… I think you'll be a great Captain."

Kaida looked at him and smiled back, "Thanks, Izuru. I promise I'll try my best! Though my best might result in disaster. A fun disaster, but disaster all the same!"

*.*.*

"I suppose you are wondering why I have summoned you here, Captain Tentzu."

Eravi bowed his head out of respect. It had been a month since he received his promotion. The squad had all taken to him becoming their new leader extremely well. Eravi knew he was incredibly lucky to had already been in the squad and so respected already. Shuhei especially had been a great help. Eravi would have wanted no other Lieutenant than his old friend. However he had not expected a direct summons from Head Captain Yamamoto so soon. Had he done something wrong?

"Y-yes sir," Eravi could not help but stammer.

He had his favored cloak on over his Captain's robes, but their sleeves were still visible, and by now, everyone knew he was the new Captain of squad nine. He eyed the Head Captain from under his hood nervously as he awaited the answer.

"I have a special mission for you," said Yamamoto briskly, and Eravi blinked.

"A… mission? For me?"

"Yes," said Yamamoto firmly, "There have been recent activities in the World of the Living that concern me. As such, I need to send some scouts there that I can trust. It is a very important assignment, I assure you. I was hesitant to choose you since you are such a new Captain, and it would be wise to let your squad adjust to you, but it seems because you were already a respected member of squad nine, that is not necessary. As such, I would feel more comfortable having a Captain supervising this mission, and do not take this as an insult, but you are the only Captain I can spare."

"R-right," Eravi took a breath, trying to find his composure to stop stammering like an idiot, "What is my debriefing then?"

"I will be sending one Soul Reaper with you, and be expecting to work with the Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki as well, for this manner is taking place in Karakura town, his residence. Another reason I chose you for this mission was because you have worked with both Kurosaki and the other Soul Reaper before."

"Who's the other Soul Reaper?" asked Eravi.

Yamamoto opened his eyes slightly, and gave him his answer.

*.*.*

"No, no, no, NO!" Kaida pouted, crossing her arms and glaring up at her older brother, "As a Captain, I forbid it!"

"Kaida just because you're a Captain does not mean you can change my orders!" snapped Renji.

"That's Captain Abarai to you!" Kaida flicked his nose.

Renji batted her away, "Kaida, listen to me, these orders are coming from the Head Captain himself. It's not like I'll never see you again, I've been on missions to the World of the Living before!"

"Not extended ones!" Kaida whined, "Renji you can't go! I'll get bored!"

"You will not," scoffed Renji, crossing his arms.

"Well what if you get hurt?"

"Captain Tentzu is coming with me," said Renji, waving her off.

"Domino? HEY WAIT! You called HIM Captain Tentzu! So why can't you call me Captain Abarai!"

"Because you're my kid sister and I just can't," growled Renji, "Even Rukia doesn't call her brother Captain Kuchiki."

"Well what is this whole mission even about?" demanded Kaida, "I want intel!"

"No can do, kiddo, even I don't know all the details," said Renji, "Captain Tentzu might."

"Where is he?" Kaida looked around wildly, even though they were in the squad six barracks.

"Not here, obviously, and don't go snooping where you don't belong!" snapped Renji, "Just because you're a Captain does not mean you get to know everything! The Head Captain only told who needed to know."

"You know I'll find out one way or another," said Kaida, waggling a finger at him.

Renji rolled his eyes, "Sadly, yes, I do know that," he sighed and turned, "I'll keep in touch, alright? And don't cause any trouble while I'm gone."

"I'm a Captain now, Renji, I can handle myself!" said Kaida, puffing out her chest, "I have an entire squad to train, so I suppose I won't get too terribly bored…"

"You know for all the crap you always gave Captain Hitsugaya for using his authority from his position, you sure like to through the Captain card around yourself, Kaida," Renji smirked at her.

"Psha! It's because I'm actually awesome and totally deserve to through the Captain card around," said Kaida, giving her brother a thumb's up.

"Whatever," sighed Renji, "I got to go meet Captain Tentzu at the gate. You better get out of the squad six barracks before Captain Kuchiki finds you. You may be a Captain now yourself, but I doubt he'll care much."

"Oh, fine," sighed Kaida, "I was planning on going to bug Toshiro anyway."

"What for? I thought the rivalry thing was over now," said Renji, perking a tattooed brow.

Kaida shrugged, "I just feel like going and giving him a visit."

Renji suddenly scowled at her, "Hang on, Kaida. Is something going on?"

"Huh?" Kaida blinked up at him, "What do you mean?"

Renji grunted and clenched his fists, "You know what I mean! You visiting Captain Hitsugaya so much. Are you not telling me something?"

Kaida stared at her brother for a moment, then it clicked.

"Wait. What- NO! You mean something like THAT? No! Ew, no!" Kaida cried, but her cheeks were turning red.

"You're blushing!"

"Because you're flustering me!"

"Why would you blush if it wasn't true?!"

"Even if it was it's none of your business!"

"It is so my business, you're my sister!"

"I'm not a baby, I can handle myself!"

"You're still far too young for any sort of interactions like that!"

"I am not!"

"So you are up to something with Captain Hitsugaya!"

"Whether I'm with Toshiro or not is none of your business!" shouted Kaida.

"Well then. That is interesting."

Kaida turned bright red and turned to see Byakuya stepping into the room, blinking mildly at them. He had recovered from his wounds for the most part, and was eyeing the two of them with mild interest.

"I suppose it is not unheard of, but do think about how it might affect the squads if you and Captain Hitsugaya are mingling in such ways," he said evenly.

"We- that-" Kaida started shaking then pointed at her brother, "Do you see what you made me do?!"

"Reveal that you're secretly seeing Captain Hitsugaya in front of my Captain? You did that yourself," scoffed Renji.

"I- Renji-"Kaida whirled, "I am NOT seeing Toshiro! We're not a thing- and we never will be! So cut the crap NOW! Both of you!"

There was a long silence. Byakuya and Renji both exchanged a glance.

"You seem awfully defensive," said Byakuya coolly, "If it's just a misunderstanding, why not just say so instead of trying so hard to prove to us that we are mistaken?"

"He's got a point," Renji growled.

"I hate both of you," sighed Kaida, turning, "I'm leaving before this gets any worse. Good luck with your mission, bro, go with honor, blah, blah, blah."

As she left the room, Renji called after her.

"Even if he is a Captain, I still have to properly assess him to see if he's good enough for you!"

Kaida smacked her forehead with the hell of her palm and just kept walking.

*.*.*

Eravi came to a stop, looking up at the building towering over him. He frowned and glanced at Renji. They were both in Gigais, and had gotten into a slight argument over what the current trends in the World of the Living were so they could fit in. In the end, they both ended up just wearing what they thought was right. In result, they were quite the interestingly mismatched pair.

Renji was wearing bright colors that seemed to clash with each other, large baggy pants, a leather vest over a bright shirt, and a strip of cloth tied around his head, and an acoustic guitar strapped across his back. Eravi meanwhile had a dark duster on with spurred boots and a cowboy hat tucked low over his eyes as if in place of his normally ever present hood.

"Now, you're sure this is the right place?" Eravi asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," snapped Renji, then seemed to frown a little, "Man this is weird. Now that you're Captain I can't talk to you like before."

"Why not?" Eravi asked, blinking.

"It wouldn't be respectful."

Eravi stared, "So am I to understand you're going to treat your sister differently?"

"Of course not, that's different," Renji muttered.

"Renji, you don't have to worry about meeting protocol or whatever with me," said Eravi simply, "Especially while we're here. I doubt Ichigo and his friends will be calling me Captain Tentzu."

"Point taken," said Renji, "Speaking of. HEY!" he shouted up at the building, "ICHIGO KUROSAKI! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"

Eravi looked up at the building where some windows were open. There didn't seem to be a response.

"Maybe you're not yelling loud enough," Eravi offered.

"ICHIGO!" Renji bellowed at the top of his lungs, "COME ON! GET OUT HERE!"

A head of orange hair appeared in one of the windows. Eravi saw Ichigo looking down at them with pure horror for a moment before vanishing.

"That did it," Eravi said cheerfully, smiling at Renji, "He'll be down any-"

WAM!

Eravi blinked in surprise as Renji was suddenly tackled in front of him and into the bushes.

"Well that escalated quickly," said Eravi, looking over at the bushes just in time for a hand to whip out and grab him by his duster and drag him into the foliage as well.

Spitting out leaves, Eravi readjusted his hat with a scowl, "Hey, what's with the warm welcome, Ichigo? I figured you'd be happy to see us."

Ichigo looked like he was about to explode actually. He looked from Renji to Eravi in fury, "What are you two idiots doing at my school?!" he snapped in a harsh whisper.

"We came to inform you that we're in charge of Karakura Town now," said Renji indignantly, "And watch your tone. That's not way to speak to your superiors."

"Super- what kind of shit is that?!" Ichigo cried, "All three of us can do Bankai, and I specifically recall kicking your ass twice now."

"Hey!" Renji began to lunge toward Ichigo but Eravi elbowed him in the chest hard, making him cough and nearly fall over.

"He means in rank that is recognized by the Soul Society, we are technically your superiors," said Eravi, "But we really don't have to get into that while we're here in the World of the Living."

"From what it sounds like, you two being given the job to watch over this little town in the World of the Living, you both got demoted," Ichigo smirked.

"For your information we did not!" snapped Renji, "I am still Lieutenant of squad six, and Eravi actually got a promotion since you last saw him."

Ichigo raised a brow at Eravi.

Eravi opened his mouth to reply, but before anything could be said there was a massive roar from nearby. Eravi leapt out of the bushes, eyes wide. There was no mistaking it. That was the cry of a Hollow.

"Shit!" Renji hissed, and his soul form appeared, at least, the torso of it did. Renji yelped in protest as he tried to shake off the Gigai that his legs and arms were still trapped in, "Damn it! I can't get out of this stupid thing, what kind of piece of crap did Urahara give me?!"

Eravi sighed. Ichigo began to reach for his Substitute Soul Reaper badge, but Eravi held up a hand.

"No need. I'll take care of it. This is our town to protect now," he said with a smile.

Popping one of the candies that allowed his soul to easily rip free from its Gigai, Eravi appeared in his normal soul form. He looked up as a massive Hollow began to stalk toward the school building. He smirked a bit. This one was small fry compared to what he was used to. He reached up and pulled his hooded cloak over his head and tossed it to the side, revealing his Captain's robes with the squad nine symbol on the back. He heard Ichigo give a strangled wail of shock.

"Wha- Eravi! You became a Captain?!"

Eravi glanced back at him, smirking under his black and white hair, "Well, Renji told you I got a promotion."

With that, he turned, crouched and unsheathed his blade in the same motion, then leapt up into the air and swung down his blade hard into the back of the Hollow, cutting him in half easily as a hot knife through butter. Its form dissolved, and Eravi saw a few familiar faced in the windows of one of the class rooms before he landed on the ground. Chad, Uryu, and Orihime.

Eravi landed, and scooped up his cloak, sheathing his blade and pulled it back on in the same motion, pulling the hood up over his head.

"It didn't even stand a chance," Ichigo muttered.

Eravi looked at him, "We both know that was a weak Hollow. There's no need to dress up my performance," he smiled.

After returning to his Gigai and helping Renji fully get into his, Chad, Uryu and Orihime appeared running toward them from the building. Eravi smiled at Orihime, pleased to see her doing well. She beamed at him and rushed to him, pulling him into a tight hug, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Oh Eravi! It's so good to see you! Were those really Captain robes? Are you a Captain, Eravi? That's so great!" she squealed.

Eravi felt his face turning very, very red at her contact. He gently pushed her back, shaking a little. Damn his stupid nerves around pretty girls. Whenever they showed any attention toward him he tended to turn into a mess, whether he was interested in them or not.

"Er- it- it's nothing- really- I- heh- … uh… that is…" he stammered.

"Orihime, let the guy breathe," Uryu muttered.

"Oh!" Orihime bounced backward, "Sorry!" she looked Eravi over, "You're all red in the face, Eravi, was I cutting off your airway?"

Eravi coughed into his fist, "No- no, it… how are you, Orihime?"

"Oh, I'm great!" Orihime chimed happily.

"Eravi, was she right? Are you really a Captain now?" Uryu asked.

"Uh, well, yes, but I haven't been for long," admitted Eravi, "I've actually been sent to watch over Karakura town for a while. Shuhei is taking care of my squad while I'm away. It doesn't really feel like I'm a Captain at the moment."

"Well, in any case, it's good to have you here!" said Orihime happily.

Eravi laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

After they went their separate ways, the humans back to their homes, and Renji and Eravi heading toward Kisuke's place where they were to be staying while they were there, Eravi stared at his feet thoughtfully.

"What's up, Captain?" asked Renji, glancing at him, "You seem to be worried about something."

"It's nothing," Eravi assured cheerfully as he could.

When in reality, he was just wondering when the reason he was really stationed here was going to rear its head. He hadn't heard about their kind for years…

The Bounts.


End file.
